Skill Training 3: Transfer to Automation

Transfer to Automation

The breakdown in most therapies, and school-room education is transferring what was (supposedly) learned into normal, daily living or into other environments than the learning setting (picture someone making their bed or helping to set the table at grandma’s or a friend’s house, rather than at home). It’s a little like you being able to take the steps to working yourself out of a job and applying them in new ways: can you take them and use them in other home areas or workplace? in areas you need to train yourself? Or are these steps forever tied to a package of working with young children and you can’t imagine any other context for them to be applicable or helpful?

1. Automate. Have the apprentice do the task unsupervised. Give them only enough time as their best time before calling “hands up.” Try not to go into their work site, but you can give them updates from outside the room: ” Three minutes left. During all the time trials you were ready to pull up the spread at this time. How are you doing?” “One minute. During all the time trials, you were putting the cleaning bin away. How are you doing?” See the magic of the time trials? You are holding them to their own performance.
2. Evaluate. After the time limit. Evaluate using the clipboard and chart. Then review the work together. Going over the chart and see if they can spot any problems themselves. Compliment good work and good spirits.
3. Automate. Phase two. Have the apprentice do the task unsupervised. Have the apprentice tell you what sort, if any, reminders they want to hear from you. You still call time.
4.  Evaluate. Phase two. The apprentice completes the evaluation chart, and then you go over it together.
5. Automate. Phase three. The apprentice assumes responsibility to do the task on his or her own at the designated time, completes the evaluation, and brings it to you. They can time themselves.
6. Evaluate. Schedule on your calendar two months of unannounced check up times based on how often the job needs done. Also, determine rewards for demonstrations of going above and beyond the call of duty such as taking care of an area more often than normal when it needs attention, without being asked to do so, or making a diligent effort to take care of the task when other events could make it inconvenient to fit in, or taking care of a task before a special trip, vacation, or some other event that would provide a good excuse for not doing the task, or doing the work with a cheerful spirit on a regular basis.
7. Unfortunately, you will also need to prepare a consequence plan for the various ways to fall down on the job: not doing it at either its preferred time or its designated back up time, not meeting the evaluation standard, taking much longer than the average time or taking much less than the average time with evidence of poor workmanship, or doing the task without a quality spirit. Of course, you need to follow through with these consequences.

Forever: once in awhile do the job for them as a love gift from you to them. When it is about time to add new components to the task (making the bed in the bedroom instead of just picking up the toys or adding the toilet to cleaning the sink), preview the new work by a couple of days of time trials at the old task before introducing the new component.

Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom in the political arena and on the home front.