Priming

Priming and Signifying Change Predictability can help to make the environment feel safer and reduce anxiety for children with autism. Priming is a strategy which may be used to prepare a child for the day ahead. It involves going through the child’s visual schedule for a particular day and giving the child an overview of which classes and activities they have that day. The child can also be shown the actual materials that they will be working on. This should typically be done in the morning, or the day or evening before. However in some cases priming may be done directly before the class, perhaps by a peer mentor. For further information on Priming, Preparation & Predictability: click here. Listen to Brenda Myles discuss the importance of Priming. Priming should be done in a relaxed environment and the priming should be short; no more than 10 minutes. The individual assisting with the priming should be encouraging and patient. For more information on Priming: click here. Change can be difficult to process for children with autism. It is important to update any schedules whenever a change occurs. It may also be useful to notify children even if there is only a possibility that a change may occur. This can be done by sticking a note or card on a visual schedule which signals that the activity might change. To watch Kari Dunn Buron ‘When my worries get too big’: click here. Brenda Myles suggests that using the word ‘change’ can sometimes immediately cause the child to become anxious. Instead, she suggests informing the child that they need to be ‘re-primed’ as this is likely to have fewer negative connotations. To watch Brenda Myles ‘Simple Strategies that work’: click here.