Sally and Neil have been practicing the phases in their mission plans, just like you! Things that used to be really hard for them, like not washing her hands for Sally and falling asleep at night alone for Neil, are getting easier! But Sally and Neil might need some more help with other things that make them feel anxious, and that’s okay.
For example, we know Sally is afraid of talking to other people –including kids her age and adults. Sally really wants to be able to talk to other kids and make friends, but she doesn’t always know what to say or how to act – especially if they want to do something she doesn’t do a lot, like joining a game at the park with other kids. She gets really worried that she will say or do something wrong and then other kids will tease her about it.
Sally and her mom came up with a mission plan to help Sally practice talking to other people. The next step is for Sally to ask Rita to hang out at the park with her. Sally is feeling really nervous because the hangout is happening soon, and she doesn’t know what to say and do with Rita at the park. Since this step is going to be really challenging for Sally, her mom agreed that she will earn a reward that she is very excited about – checking out a Saturn book from the library on the way home from the park!
Sally’s mom also suggested that they will go to the park a little early to talk about and practice what Sally can say and do with Rita. This is a conversation that Sally and her mom had:
Sally's mom: “Okay, Sally, Rita will be here soon, what do you think would be good to say when she first arrives?”
Sally: “Maybe ‘Hello’? ‘How are you?’ But what comes after that?”
Sally's mom: “Yes, those are good ways to start a conversation. She will probably respond with good, and maybe talk to you about her day a little bit. For example, she might tell you about how she went to the mall with her mom, so you can ask her a bit more about what she did there! When she asks you how you are doing, what can you say?”
Sally: “Maybe I can tell her about how I was playing my favorite video game this morning.”
Sally’s mom: “That’s a good idea! Does Rita like videogames?”
Sally: “I don’t know.”
Sally’s mom: “That might be a good question to ask her! Now, if she doesn’t like videogames, you shouldn’t talk about them for too long, since she does not find them interesting.”
Sally: “But I like videogames.”
Sally’s mom: “I know, but when we are having a conversation with someone, we also want the other person to feel included. So, you should find something to talk about that both of you like!”
Sally: “Okay.”
Sally and her mom came up with a few more ideas for things Sally could talk about and then they practiced. First, Sally’s mom pretended to be Sally and Sally played Rita. Then, Sally played herself and her mom pretended to be Rita. When Rita got there, Sally was a lot more confident in what to say and do, and they had a lot of fun playing at the park!
