Routines and Schedules

Many individuals who are impacted by autism benefit from schedules and routines.  I have never thought of E as being an individual that needs picture schedules and highly structured routines.  E has always been a go with the flow kid.  Throughout his first five years of school, schedules were prepared and laminated.  We never incorporated these schedules into his day to day life.  However, seeing how his current school uses these schedules is vastly different and appears to give E a sense of world around him.  These schedules instead of only being a roadmap of the days events are also used as a tool for positive reinforcement and encouragement.

This got me thinking.  Do individuals without any disabilities unconsciously use schedules and routines?  Does adherence to our schedules gives us validation in some way?

Routines and schedules- everyone has them.  Some are overt; others occur by circumstance or habit.   For instances, people get into a routine of the route they get take to work; taking the same path and leaving at the same time each work day.  These routines are imprinted subconsciously on the commuter's brain.  Based on the commute E and I have been doing for the past year, I know by what time it is and where we are on our commute how early or late we may be for school.    So the answers to my above rhetorical questions is yes on both counts.  Completing the same task/action at the appropriate time is a highly motivating reinforcer.

I am fond of developing paradigms to explain people and their actions.  Some of these conception behavioral models have borne themselves true over years of observation.  Others have required some refinement.  One day I'll have to post a blog with some of other my theories.  

Neurologically, no one is absolutely sure what occurs in the brains of individuals impacted by autism.  With E, there is a need to constantly remind him of what he needs to do during what is a routine task, such as getting dressed, going to the bathroom etc.  Some days E requires less oversight than others.  I am constantly prompting E on what he needs to do next.  I do give him some time to do what needs to be done next before I prompt him.  The simple routines that I take for granted such as getting dressed, carrying food from counter to kitchen table are seemingly lost each night.  It reminds me of the Adams Sandler movie, 40 First Dates, wherein each night the previous days events are lost to Lucy.  The difference is that E can remember things that don't occur regularly.  He still knows the locations of all of the elevators at Northbrook Court even though we haven't been there in months.  He knows the location of all of the Starbucks in the area even though I rarely go to Starbucks.  Can a theory for neurologically what occurs in E's brain be identified?  Maybe.  I just haven't been able to hypothesize why his long-term memory is so developed, but his short-term memory and ability to create routines is impaired.

Recently I was prescribed reading glass for a night when my eyes tire and need a little more assistance seeing the computer screen, book or whatever is within 18 inches of my eyes.  As E falls asleep, I usually have an iPad in my lap and be reading or researching something on the web with my reading glasses perched at the end of my nose like my dad.  After about of month of wearing my reading glasses, E won't lay and settle down for the night unless my glasses are on.   On those nights are am not reading, I still have to put my glasses on.  It is a curious routine that he has created.  However, once those glasses are on, he'll usually fall asleep within 20 minutes.  (However, E staying asleep still alludes us most nights).  So obviously my glasses signal something within E that it is time to go to sleep.  If E doesn't check to see if I have my glasses on, I announce and show him that my glasses are on.

As to how this routine got established will likely be a mystery, however, the effect of the routine is unmistakable.  

While the schedules and routines established by his school place increased demands and expectations on E, they also provide him with something that typical individuals take for granted the ability to anticipate, plan and complete a "scheduled/routine" activity.  It is unfortunate that as a parent I am often caught up on what he should be doing, learning, eating and the like.  Instead, I should be focusing on what E needs in order to navigate the world around him and its social standards. 

Thanks reading glasses for providing me some (in)sight.

Thanks for reading; more to come.