A New Goal!

For the benefit of those reading this who have not read my book, I will briefly explain Marisa's goal chart which has been in effect since she was 4 years old. Marisa earns points daily toward special rewards of her choosing. For example, each day she may earn points for doing one nice thing for someone else, reading a book of her choosing for at least 20 minutes, answering the phone, taking written phone messages, writing her days events and emptying the garbage in her bathroom and bedroom. These are just some things she earns daily points for. She chooses special rewards, and when she earns the required number of points, she receives her reward. Then she starts again to earn points toward a new reward. The value of the chosen reward plays a part in determining the number of points required.

Last night when I attended a special meeting for parents of children with special needs, Marisa along with friends whose parents were at the meeting, were being kept busy in the next room. Before the meeting, I informed Marisa that the wall separating the two rooms was thin, and she needed to try to keep her voice down. Unfortunately she did not follow through, and during the meeting, she could clearly be heard through the wall.

After the meeting I mentioned to her that she was heard above everyone else, including the speaker at the meeting I was attending. Though I told her I was happy that she was having such a good time, I informed her that she needed to be more conscious of lowering her voice. This morning I added "lower voice" to her goal chart to help make her more conscious of lowering her voice. She will earn a daily point for this goal and having the visual reminder on her daily chart will help her become more aware. Along with the visual reminder, my verbal reminders should help bring about a change. I am hopeful!