The Power of Flexibility

Date Published: March 4, 2022
Author: Jessica Mattox, Behavior Therapist

Most of us are creatures of habit, following unvaried routines. For example, buying the same brand of groceries or taking a specific route to work. Maybe one day the brand you normally buy is sold out or the route you drive is under construction. You might demonstrate flexibility by buying another brand or taking a detour to work. Sometimes unexpected changes, like these examples, can be difficult for people, especially children with autism. Inflexibility or intolerance to change is known as rigidity. Rigidity can include requiring sameness, having selective preferences, and repeated or patterned behavior. In a natural setting, these could be observed as following a specific dressing routine, preferring certain foods, and repetitive play.

Rigidity is not inherently a negative way of thinking and behaving. There is comfort in consistency and predictability is important for creating structure. Not all rigidities need to be addressed or changed and it can even be a strength in certain areas of life. Rigidity helps your child feel safe and changes can create uncertainty. However, we live in changing environments and while we all do our best to maintain routines there are times when variations occur. These differences could be the antecedent (trigger) to challenging behaviors. For example, you might see difficulties with a transition between activities that are outside of their normal routine, or refusal to eat new or disliked foods.

With ABA, we can help introduce flexibility and teach skills to help your children cope with and tolerate change. It is important to remember that for those who find flexibility a challenge, practicing these skills is a way to help prevent anxiety and stress. If every morning we woke up not knowing what our day would look like, it would more than likely be a stressful start. Introducing small, purposeful changes to routines is a gradual way to introduce flexibility. You can try slight alterations to a nighttime routine by altering one step. Drastically changing routines can cause distress. We recognize it is not always possible or realistic to follow the same exact pattern every day, especially around the holiday season. If you know there will be a major change in routine, it is always helpful to practice it ahead of time!

If you’re planning on visiting new homes of friends/family or traveling for the holidays, implement proactive strategies. In advance, use photos of family or friends to begin familiarizing your child with new faces. Have a calendar with travel dates for a visual countdown or sit down daily and count the remaining days until travel. Social stories can be created and reviewed ahead of time with your child to set expectations for airports or in family/friends’ homes. If driving for an extended period of time, practice small increases to the amount of time spent in the car. On travel days, have a visual schedule and explain to your child how the day will proceed. These strategies will improve tolerance for change by reducing the surprise of an altered routine.

Practice flexibility by offering a variety of enjoyable activities and environments. You might visit different playgrounds on different days or do various arts and crafts throughout the week. Try changing rules to games or try different ways to sort /match objects (color/size). Play UNO as a color matching game or as a card toss game! This will expose your children to a variety of experiences and perspectives.

Acknowledge your own challenges with flexibility and practice adding variation throughout your day. This provides a model for your children to observe and absorb your reactions. Be vocal when situations alter and discuss how you will handle the change. Be consistent and creative in how you phrase any challenges. Suppose that you are out of coffee you could say, “I have run out of coffee. I really wanted coffee this morning but my backup is to have my favorite tea. Let’s add coffee and chocolate milk to our shopping list”. The more flexibility is positively communicated and shown the less daunting it can appear.

If your child shows flexibility be sure to provide behavior-specific praise! Mention their actions and how appreciative you feel. Praise can be an important reinforcer for building self-confidence.

These are a few strategies to encourage flexible thinking. If you need help with ways to introduce and practice flexibility, contact your BCBA through CentralReach or ask to discuss the topic during Caregiver Collaboration meetings.

About the Author:

Jessica Mattox is a Behavior Therapist on the Faces Behavioral Services team. Faces Behavioral Services is a department of the Pacific Autism Center for Education that supports children with autism in reaching their full potential utilizing Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).