I started a behavioral log book after I got pregnant with my second son. We all know how pregnant mommy brain can be. I simply couldn't remember all the things,in J's behavior, that I felt it was important for his ADHD dr to know. After looking online and speaking with his dr we decided that writing it down would be the best course of action. That was how J's behavior log began.
As you can see, from the picture, I used a simple composition book from the dollar store.
Next I write the day and date. Because I have some quiet time mid morning I break J's log book daily entry into two sections. I write a quick summery of how the morning went. After that, I list all the pros of the morning. I do this to remind me to see the good in his behavior. Even if its not much its still there and I don't get lost in all the bad. I then list all the cons of the morning. It is my hope that the pros will outweigh the cons but it gives me a clear idea of where we're at.
My morning entry normally doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes. Come night time I repeat the process with his behavior after school or the weekend. Even on J's worse days it has only taken me no more than 20 minutes to get the entry done.
In the 20 plus months I've been doing this life has gotten so much easier. I can now clearly tell J's dr and councilor what his active issues are and praise him for his good behavior because its no longer getting lost in the bad. It has also helped me clarify behaviors we need to put in J's Goal book to work on.
More importantly, J has come to like his behavior log book. He can read it to see what he's done right and what he needs to work on. He has brought it to me and asked to talk about a behavior written in it. It has opened a line of communication between us because I make it a point, when I'm writing, to not make it ever sound like I'm attacking him. It's just a simple statement of the behavior.
I can not stress how wonderful J's Behavioral Log has been for us. It has given us clear guidance when everything else may be going crazy. The dr and councilor love his log book because I have it right there with us at the appointment. They know exactly what J's been up to.
If you have any question please feel free to leave your question in the comment box and I'll do my best to answer it.
No comments:
Post a Comment