Identification – what you may see in the child or young person
- Calls out frequently.
- Finds it difficult to stop and think before engaging in a task and may just default to a familiar, but inappropriate, approach.
- Seems impulsive.
- Finds it hard to wait.
Planned provision in school
Based on need, some of this provision will be effective.
- Explicitly model, teach and practise waiting. For some children this will need to start with practising initial hesitation (stopping for a short period before continuing): more information can be found in Elklan’s Communication Builders for Complex Needs.
- Play games that require stopping, for example, the traffic light game or Simon Says.
- Play games that involve turn-taking (begin with games/activities that involve a very short period of waiting and build up gradually from there). Provide a visual reminder for whose ‘turn’ it is.
- Give explicit opportunities for older children and young people to reflect on their inhibitory control by playing age-appropriate card games and board games.
- Teach and practice alternatives to ‘calling out’ and provide visual reminders for these. For example, provide a jotter, so the child or young person can write down their thoughts. Review strategies for checking for understanding to minimise the needs for ‘hands up.’
- Provide mentoring, where a key adult can ‘think aloud’ to model the thought processes involved in stopping and thinking before acting.