Five Point Scales

The first technique I want to share is the Five Point Scale.

Most people with Autism find it very challenging to read the nuances of their own and other peoples' emotions.  They tend to think in binary terms of happy / sad or calm / excited.

The main purpose of a Five Point Scale is to help that person reflect on differing degrees of emotion within the areas of anxiety, anger, excitablity, noise level, social intimacy - the possibilities are pretty much limitless. 

Here is an example of one done to address anxiety with doing a test in school:-

And another based on the child's special interest in Superman.

 

Where I have found them really effective is in giving the child a simple tool of communication to express how they are feeling.  So instead of a loaded question such as `What is the matter?' or one that is highly challenging and complex to a person with Autism such as `How are you feeling?', a straightforward `What number are you?' can be used.  This means the child can give a one word answer and then both the child and adult can then have an agreed strategy to implement at that number.  For example when I worked in a school where I implemented these with most children I worked with, children were only presented with the challenge of going to lessons when they self-identified as a `1' or a `2'.  Beyond that strategies were used to help them get to that status.

 

I have found them incredibly useful with a wide range of children and cannot speak highly enough of them.

 

To introduce a Five Point Scale with your child at home would typically involve four sessions.  The first would be a consultation with parents / carers as to the issue to be addressed and an `ice-breaker' meeting with the child.  The second and third sessions would involve working directly with the child with an adult present to identify and agree the different points on the scale and actions to be used.   The fourth follow-up session would be after a couple of weeks when reflection would take place and any tweaks and alterations could be made.

 

This programme would cost £100 for the four sessions.