Completing Tasks: Supporting your Autistic Child’s Independence

Have you ever noticed that your autistic child has difficulty completing tasks? For example, you are getting ready to leave the house and your child is moving along through the needed preparations…until they’re not. They might get distracted by a preferred activity, or they might just be standing there looking like they’ve lost their way. As parents (or just helpful adults), our first inclination is to jump in and tell them the next step (e.g. “Go get your shoes!”). This is especially true when we are feeling rushed, as is often the case as busy parents raising kids!

However, though well meaning, our instructions can foster what is called prompt-dependence. Our kids learn that, when they are stuck, someone will eventually tell them the next step. This is not intentional on their part (or ours!) – it’s just what happens. Over time, they may tend to expect (and wait for) further instruction, rather than doing the problem-solving themselves.

Here is a simple, easy-to-implement alternative that will move them forward, while also supporting independent problem solving. In the scenario described above, at the moment your child gets off-track, instead of telling them the next step (“Go get your shoes!”), simply say “Keep going.” Pause and look expectant. Add a gesture if needed (e.g. point toward the shoes), but resist telling them what to do. Though these two prompts may seem similar at first glance, the implications for your child are vastly different. The phrase “keep going” reminds your child that they were in the middle of competing a task but still requires them to think about what they were doing and figure out the next step (P. Rydell, personal communication, 2011). This supports independent problem-solving, engagement, and executive functioning skills (i.e. the ability to make a plan and execute it).

An alternative to the phrase “keep going” is to simply say “finish.” This is best implemented when the child has almost completed the task but has paused just short of finishing. It has the same effect as “keep going” – it cues the child that another step is needed but allows them to figure out what that step might be.

Give it a try!

Leslie