We will share strategies to improve your student’s ability to cope with change 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 change with a social narrative like the one below:
Social Narrative: Doing things the same way each day feels comfortable. You know what to expect. Sometimes the routine has to change. Change does not mean bad, it just means different. Change may feel uncomfortable or make your hear beat fast. You might have lots of questions and this is okay. Your teacher can help you understand the change so you can feel better. Being able to say okay to change is a great skill to have. Change will allow you to try new things. Being able to change will help others feel calm. With practice you can learn to say okay to change!
Click the image below for a free handout of the Change 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 deliberatly 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.
Practice Easy Change - Use the change card to purposefully introduce change in the student’s schedule that is not too stressful. Consider a pleasant change in the schedule such as instead of math, have a snack. Write the change on the card and place it on the schedule. Take time to practice and reinforce the concept of change and develop a positive association with the change card. With practice, your student will be able to say “Okay” to change.
Talk About Change- Create a stack of flash cards with possible change scenarios (new student, substitute teacher, cancelled related service, assembly, snow delay, fire drill, field trip or room change). Use a visual emotion regulation tool such as Zones of Regulation or the Incredible 5 Point Scale to gauge the level of anxiety each change creates. Encourage the student to ask questions and help ease their concerns. It may help to write down a confirming statement to reduce fear, such as, “I love animals so I will love going to the zoo.” When possible, provide a visual that shows what the change will look like such as a schedule for going to the zoo or a social story talking about what to expect. 
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 when practicing change, the student may be better able to manage stress caused by change. Here is one example of a calming strategy you can try: 
Time to PRIME!
Present the Change card to the student prior to the change. You can place the change card on the student’s schedule to show when the change will occur. Write down the change on the front of the card.
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| Angela Crum Parkwood Elementary, Beavercreek |
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| Jennifer Schmidt Beavercreek High School, Beavercreek |
To develop a positive association with change, incorporate the student's special interests.
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| Maggie Brackman Northwood Elementary, Northmont |
Show the student the back of the Change card to present the priming bullets that review the strategies you have practiced.
Answer questions about the change to ease their concerns (what, when, where, who, why, how)? Create a reassuring statement the student can script to be okay with the change such as “My teacher will be back tomorrow”. This can be written or presented in pictures. If time allows, create a quick mini schedule or cartoon to illustrate what the change will look like. Even if the change needs to happen without much prior notice, it will be important to take the time to calmly talk about the change with your student. If you, the adult, feel stressed about the upcoming change, try to model a calm response. Engage in the student’s calming routine with the student to model the strategy and co-regulate with the student. If these strategies are fresh in the mind of your student, the student is more likely to apply the strategies. The concept of change has been practiced so the student should be very familiar with how to implement coping strategies. 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.If you know in advance that a change will most likely occur, such as a fire drill, substitute teacher, or 2- hour delay, you can create a social story. You can find free social stories online such as this one that you can edit to meet your specific needs:
or create your own stories using AI on Magic School.
Consider the use of video to prime a student for change. Capturing video of a new location or a new routine that the student can view in a calm and structured way can help the student feel familiar with the change before it happens. Below is an example of a video you can create to prime a student for a transition to a new building:
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| Molly Stanifer Bell Creek Intermediate, Bellbrook |
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| America Swatzel Dixie Middle School, New Lebanon |
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| Jolene Allen Brantwood Elementary, Mad River |
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| Mackenzie Harris Primary Village South, Centerville |
Consider the use of video to prime a student for change. Capturing video of a new location or a new routine that the student can view in a calm and structured way can help the student feel familiar with the change before it happens. Below is an example of a video you can create to prime a student for a transition to a new building:
You can also capture video of a mock fire drill routine to help the student become familiar with the expectations, such as putting on headphones to reduce the sound of the alarm. For some student's specific visual cues can be helpful.
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| Natalie Griffen Smith Middle School, Vandalia |
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| Shannan Vance Valley Forge Elementary, Huber Heights |
Below are examples from one of our teachers using the Change Card to prime her students that there is going to be a change. She uses a large change card on her morning message board to review scheduled changes such as a fire drill, field trip, or assembly.
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| Emily Ottmar Stevenson Elementary, Mad River |
Classroom staff keep a small card on their lanyard to prime individual students for any routine changes.
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| Emily Ottmar Stevenson Elementary, Mad River |
Having change cards readily available around the classroom is another great strategy!
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| Jessica Stewart Trotwood ELC, Trotwood |
PROMPT
Even with an advanced priming session, the student may become anxious when the change comes up in the schedule. Use the Change card and any written scripts or visuals (schedules, cartoons, etc.) as in-the-moment visual prompts to reassure that the change will be okay. Sometimes giving the student a reassuring statement they can read to themselves as they engage in the change is helpful. If the student continues to be frustrated, prompt or model the use of the calming strategy. Hopefully, you have been able to dedicate ample structured time to develop a positive response to the Change card, so when it comes up, the student’s body response can remain calm.
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 change, provide specific verbal praise, such as “I love how you said okay to something different”. Some students may need tangible reinforcement.
Let your student know you are proud of them and that they are getting so good at saying “okay” to change!
That’s it! Those are the 4 pillars to teach your students how to cope with change. 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.
