Sometimes, we get STUCK!!

So do our students!!    Their thoughts get stuck, (haven't we all had students with "train on the brain?" where all they think about are trains)?   Their words get stuck too and I'm not referring to stuttering!   I'm referring to when all they can talk about is one topic or they keep repeating lines from movies (movie talk).  Well, their actions get stuck too.  At one extreme is the student with autsim who keeps repetitively spinning their hands or an object.  There are less extreme examples too:  the student who is so obsessed with swinging that they won't  let anyone else use that swing.  That student is stuck! The student who loves Legoes so much that it's all he plays with and if another student tries to play with the  Legoes, watch out!!   These students can  pose significant behavioral and learning challenges in the therapy room and the classroom and these perseverative patterns of  thought, language and actions cause these students to look different amongst their peers.  Students with autism, ADHD or other mental health challenges can struggle with these perseverative behaviors.

I've been trying some activities with these students with some success.  I've introduced the topic of getting "stuck" with the  Social Story: Sometimes, we get stuck.  which can be found at my store if you click on the link and search for it.  You can also introduce "getting stuck"  by having concrete items that are stuck, ie  glue on paper, playdough on a  piece of  clothing, tape on an object.   You get the idea.  Show your students how things  get stuck and it's not a positive thing, (who likes getting gum stuck in their  hair)?    Then, show them how the items can be freed or unstuck.  I prefer to use the words, "not  stuck," it seems  to be more meaningful to the younger students.  Discuss how our thoughts, words and actions can also become stuck....and that's not a positive thing either!  When those are stuck, we need ways to get them "not stuck."  See the menu of coping strategies in the image below.  If you still need more ideas, I've developed a packet to use with perseverative students, Sometimes, we get stuck: 8 activities to reduce perseverative thoughts, language and actions.  It utilizes thought bubbles, talking  bubbles and "pictures"  to teach the concepts  of  perseverative thought, words and actions and provides students with ways of coping with their stuck feelings!  Here's the menu  of  coping strategies from  this packet for you to try with your students:

Menu of strategies to cope with getting stuck!

When my student is stuck, I say to him in a neutral voice, "I think you are stuck," and hand him the above "menu." I  then say, "what should we do to get you "not stuck?"  Since he has had training from me about what it means to be stuck and how we deal with it, he is accepting of this intervention.  A  critical piece to helping these students, especially the ones with autism, is teaching them ways and methods of coping at times when they are not in a meltdown mode!  Your  primary teaching of strategies should not be done when they are in behavioral distress.

Do you have other ideas for  helping  students with perseverative thoughts, language or actions?  Please share in the comments section!   Thanks for stopping by my blog and happy teaching!

                                                                 Donna