What's Covered in Module 7
This week, you and your child should continue to practice the steps in your mission plan. Here is the Weekly Practice Plan form to help you continue to plan when to practice activities in your child’s mission plan.
This week covers two more things to look out for as you complete your mission plans: “fix-its” and “accommodation.” This module will take about 20 - 30 minutes to complete the readings and activities. We encourage you to take breaks and come back to the material as much as you need.
Previously on LUNA…
Last week, you continued to practice the steps of your child’s mission plan. You also learned how to reflect on progress and address certain issues that can come up along the way. You learned some tips for what to discuss after mission plan practice to help your child learn from these exercises.
Identify and Address Fix-Its
Some children may do certain things to prevent feared outcomes from happening – these behaviors are called “quick fixes” or “fix-its”. Watch this video below to learn what fix-its are and how they can look.
Here are some more different examples of fix-its:
- Washing too much
- Checking too much (like locks or behind doors, or where exits are)
- Asking too many questions about fears
- Spending lots of time researching fears on the Internet
- Carrying a special object everywhere
- Distracting myself so I do not think about my fears
- Always having a phone with me
Fix-its are like avoidance. When children face their fears and use fix-its, they might think they are successful or safe because of their fix-its. This makes them more dependent on fix-its, does not let them learn about their fears, and prevents them from developing confidence.
Watch out for fix-its during mission plan practice, because they can get in the way of progress. If you notice or suspect that they are happening, ask your child about them. For example, you can ask them if there is anything they do during certain situations to make themselves feel less scared. You can also present two mission plan steps (one that includes doing the fix-it and one that states to not do the fix-it) and ask which one would be harder for them. If you find fix-its that are preventing your child from facing their fears, put them into your mission plans (for example, making up new steps with reduced use of fix-its). You can add details about these fix-its to each step of your current mission plan, or you can complete the original step, then go back and re-do it while addressing fix-its.
On the next pages, we will present more information about how to help your child identify fix-its and put them into mission plans.
