Sensational Social Skills: Finish Later

Shifting from one task to another can be challenging for many students. Factors that make this skill challenging may include difficulty finishing a task, difficulty stopping a task that is not finished, or difficulty stopping a highly preferred task. Some students struggle with any type of transition so be sure you are using your transition strategies such as a visual schedule, a “to do” list, and a visual timer or countdown.

In today's Sensational Social Skills post, we will share strategies for helping students pause a task and switch to a new task using the Pillars of Performance (PoP) framework. PoP is a framework we use to help students acquire and apply social skills. These four pillars include: PRACTICE, PRIME, PROMPT & PRAISE. We have created a series of PoP cards to directly teach critical social skills.



First, introduce the concept of Finish Later with a social narrative like the one below:

Social Narrative: Sometimes we have to stop one activity and move on to another. If your class is moving on and you are not finished or if your teacher is asking you to stop what you are doing to start something new, you might feel stressed. It is hard to let go of a thought or change your direction when you are not finished. Being able to pause and finish later is a great skill to have. With practice, you can learn to finish later so you can feel calm and happy when it is time to do something different.



Click the image below for a free handout of the Finish Later PoP card. Print, cut, and laminate the card to use as a visual support when teaching this skill. 

Let’s PRACTICE!
Practice makes perfect. In order to master any skill you need to deliberately practice the skill. This makes it much easier to apply the skill in the moment when you need it the most. Try some of these practice activities to strengthen skills. Repeat, repeat, then repeat.



1. Pause and Switch - Practice pausing and switching gears by having students engage in two easy and preferred tasks. Set the timer to shift from one task to the other and then back again. Select the time increment and task to ensure this activity is not too stressful. Make this a fun activity to reassure the students that they can pause and come back to the unfinished task to continue working on it later.



2. Use a Calming Strategy- Help the student identify a quick in-the-moment calming strategy such as deep breathing or palm presses. Practice using this calming technique regularly. By implementing this calming strategy at the start of the task and as needed throughout the task, the student may be better able to manage frustration. Here is one example of a calming strategy you can try: 

3. Focus- Keep in mind it may be very hard to focus on the new task if the student is still thinking about the last task. Use a lighted magnifying glass to illustrate you can move the focus from one task to the other by directing eyes and thoughts to the current task. Play a fun game of “follow the light” by having the student focus on and talk about the item your light is highlighting. Shift to a new item and have the student talk about the new item. When asking a student to shift focus to a new task, it helps to reduce distractions. Remove all unnecessary items from sight. If the student is working independently, provide a visual screen such as a portable cardboard study carrel. Ask the student, “What are we focusing on now?” If it is something they don’t like doing, use a visual contract to-do list to help them see the work going away and that they are getting closer to getting back to a preferred activity.

The To Do list can also be helpful if a student needs to finish later as it allows them to see where they left off in the steps to completion. If the student typically takes longer than the others to complete a task, consider only having them do part of the task before earning the preferred activity to keep them motivated and avoid frustration if they run out of time before earning their reward. Click the image below for a copy of this To Do list template!

4. Finish Later- Have the student help you create a Finish Later Bin (or folder) as a place to keep unfinished tasks. This can provide a visual/tangible way to show the student that the task is still there waiting to be finished at a later time. Make sure you always schedule ample time to work on unfinished tasks each day. If the “finish later” activity is not something that can be placed in a finish bin (such as a game on the computer), consider making a finish later sign to put on the computer. Reassure the student that you are saving the activity so it will be available where it was paused. 

Under Construction Zone
Heather Balkcom
Springcreek Primary, Piqua

This teacher created a construction zone for students to visit when they had extra time to work on unfinished papers. Their work was still “under construction”.



Time to PRIME!

Use the priming bullets on the Finish Later card to review the strategies you have practiced. What self-script can they use to coach themselves when they need to pause and finish later. If these strategies are fresh in the mind of your student, the student is more likely to apply the strategies. Make a point of reviewing these strategies prior to starting a task that the student struggles to finish or transition away from. Refer to the student’s finish later bin and remind them that there will be time to come back to any task that does not get finished. Next, have the student engage in the calming strategy for a minute or more. These are all strategies that have been practiced so the student should be very familiar with how to implement them. The priming session should be a positive pep talk to review these strategies and instill confidence in your student. By priming the student, you are setting them up for success.



PROMPT
Even with a priming session, the student may become frustrated or defensive when asked to pause and finish later. Use the Finish Later card as an in-the-moment, nonverbal prompt to reassure that the student will have time to finish later. Refer the student to the “finish later” bin. If the student continues to be frustrated, prompt or model the use of the calming strategy.

Give PRAISE!
This final pillar is the most important. We know that in order to increase any skill we need to actively reinforce the skill. Any time you notice that the student is responding positively to a request to pause and finish later, provide verbal or nonverbal praise/reinforcement. Refer to the student’s schedule to reassure them there will be time to continue working on the task later. Provide natural reinforcement by honoring your promise of time to finish later. 

That’s it! Those are the 4 pillars to teach your students how to respond to Finish Later. Each pillar is important in supporting the application and generalization of this critical skill. Taking the time to implement all 4 pillars will result in the outcome you want. It may take some time so be patient and have fun with it. Teaching the skill with a positive attitude will help the student develop a positive association with the strategies. Developing your student’s confidence and ownership of the goal will help your student succeed.