Creating Routines for Neurodivergent Learners & Families
Hi there! How are you? It’s so nice to see you here!
I hope you are well and the New Year is off to a restful start for you!
OUR TOPIC THIS QUARTER
Our topic this quarter is just what the start of any new year deserves, a look at all of our routines. Each month from January - March will allow us to dive into this topic to explore creating, implementing and maintaining routines for our families.
January - Creating Routines
This month, our focus is all about sharing the importance of creating routines. More specifically, busting the misconceptions, the difference a routine could make, where to start and how it could look for you.
A routine, really?
Yes! A routine! I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this in your life but within our day we have a series of patterns that help us move from one day to the next. They may not be “routines” we’ve made but they’re naturally occurring that allow us to know what is going to happen next. For example, the sun comes up and it’s morning; then sun goes down and it’s night. Maybe you have a start and end time for work and appointments you need to go to. Everything that we do follows a pattern and in our case, a routine. But whether we know it or not, they ground us and allow us to navigate the day with ease.
Increase predictability, decrease questions
When you have a consistent pattern or rhythm to your days, it allows the learners in our lives to understand more clearly what is coming next in their day. But we as the adults in their lives are the ones that drive those routines home. Maybe it’s just me, but theres no more frequently asked question in my house other than “when are going to have/ when is….”
Patterns or rhythms create a routine.
Routines create structure.
Structure creates predictability.
Predictability decreases questions….
…and helps everyone navigate their days with ease.
Does having a routine really make a difference?
I’ll let you answer this one on your own, but I’ll frame it for you like this:
Does knowing when to arrive or leave a location (work, appointment, activity) make your day easier or harder?
Does knowing what activities or events you have coming up make your day easier or harder?
Your answer to these questions will most likely be how your learner would answer them as well.
To thrive or to survive, that is the question…
Okay, okay - where do I start with building a routine?
FIRST, let’s look at what types of daily routine are out there:
Morning and evening
Activities of daily living: Brushing teeth, using the bathroom, bathing routines, washing hands, getting dressed (or undressed), putting on shoes, putting on a coat, etc.
Meal time routines
Getting ready for school (or work)
Coming home from school (or work)
Traveling to an activity & getting the family ready
…. And more
NEXT, put a pulse on your day - what types of routines feel “slippery”, meaning, once you try to navigate that part of the day, it is a “slippery slope” and everyone is moving in different directions without a real “direction.”
THEN, start small with one task, event or part of the day and start there.
Great, but how could this look at home?
Once you’ve taken a peek at the flow or your families day and the times that feel like “slippery slope” it’s time to get to work!
Before I get ahead of myself for next month, I’ll leave you with these next action steps to prep for February:
Write out the routine that feels the “slipperiest” to you - it’s difficult to get a grasp on, everyone is moving in different directions and once you try to begin navigating that time of day or activity it’s a “slippery slope”
Start with the first step and the last step (they’re the easiest to remember)
Fill in the steps in between
Highlight the parts that are “slippery”
Stay tuned for February where we’ll take this information and create routines together
This Month on Instagram
Throughout the month of January, we’ll be reviewing different types of routines and rhythms in our days that are already there and talking about how to do an audit on your current patterns and rhythms within your days to find routines if you don’t already have them.
As we shared in our quarterly blog post, our Instagram feed may look a bit different this year as we’re now going to be giving bite sized video content through Instagram Reels and Instagram Stories with plenty of examples and step-by-step tools. Think of it as a “Mini Coffee Break” with strategies on the go, similar to grabbing your favorite drink from the drive thru; quick and to the point!
All Instagram posts will be shared at 8 PM, daily. Stories will occur at various times throughout the week, so stay tuned!
So be sure to follow along on Instagram @coffeemugsandclipboards as we bring this month’s content to life!
