Who would've thought!??

For years now, we've used PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) for Gavin at home and school. The PECS system uses a little clock on a board and pictures to help the child through the day and keep them on a schedule. The clock shows it's "time for..." the activity pictured. You basically line up the activities for the day and try to get through them. In MN we tried transitioning from pictures to a simple word strip, listing the things to be done in that order. At school here they have been using a simple word plus very small picture. We often have a difficult time getting out the door in the morning for ANY activity...school, church, etc. So, I finally opened a spreadsheet in XCEL and made up a list of activities by each day of the week. I had to do one for mornings, and one for afternoon/evenings. (If Gavin couldn't read, I would have to use pictures!) We start with the first thing on the list...POTTY. I have him read it, and usually he will get up and comply! Who would've thought that it could be so easy? After spending almost EVERY morning with screeching, having him lay on the floor like a noodle and having to lift him off the floor into the bathroom, getting kicked or hit in the head (me, not him, silly!) and all the trauma. It is AMAZING to me how he responds to this technique! We still have resistance to some things, but in general our days have structure and a schedule to follow. It doesn't help with meltdowns at the store, or out in public, but it IS making a difference getting out the door...
One last note, Gavin has almost always loved videos. He learned phonics, and how to read, thanks to the website I've listed www.loveandlearning.com which is very LOW TECH, created by parents of a girl with Down's syndrome. I credit their videos/DVDs with building a foundation for reading. If your child is going to watch videos anyway, why not have them learning???
Time to head out the door for speech. Now, where is my list/schedule??? :)