Anyone have success with curbing/controlling all-or-nothing thinking?

[lulubelle]

The therapist just introduced this phrase to us. My ds 10 is deep into this thinking and it makes it very hard to get him through his work. The therapist said it's good to remind him of his thinking pattern and try to re-direct it. I think it is going to be a long, hard process.

 

He was tested. No LD's. ADHD with Asperger tendencies and some sensory processing issues. Oh, and co-ordination disorder. He has a hard time fighting towards anything! He prefers to do his own thing. Does not like to be told to do anything. It is very, very, very difficult to get him through his work.

 

Any experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Barbara H]

I might be able to come up with better ideas with a specific situation in mind.

 

Some strategies that might work for some situations:

 

Break it down into smaller pieces. They might need to be really small pieces at first. Encourage him to identify small goals and to notice when he's succeeded.

 

Praise effort rather than praising the right answer. Notice when he's working on something without complaining or getting upset.

 

Talk about best, worst and most likely outcomes. Encourage him to make predictions about what will happen. Over time he'll likely notice that rarely does the worst thing happen.

 

Try to model being flexible and accepting of yourself when you make a mistake.