I just ordered a Watchminder for difficult child 2. We're planning to use it to help him to self-regulate.
He has trouble remembering to do certain things on his own (take his medications, etc.) Now that he's going to be in public school, it's going to be all the more important for him to remember to do things on his own. He's going to have to remember what classes to go to next, take his medications on time, do his chores, do his homework, etc.
I thought the Watchminder might be a good thing for him. You can set up to 30 different messages at fixed times, or set random reminders, etc. His school guidance counselor recommended using a school planner for his assignments, class schedule, etc. The problem is, difficult child 2 won't remember to check his planner. He needs an auditory reminder to remember to do even simple things like check his planner.
The spec. ed. dept. chair recommended getting him a watch with an alarm. The problem with that is that most watches are limited when it comes to the number of alarms you can set. So...in doing some digging, I found the Watchminder. It looks just like a sports watch, so it wouldn't be an "obvious" tool. (difficult child 2 wants so much to give the appearance of just being an average kid.)
I was curious if anyone else has used one and if it's all the marketing junk makes it out to be. Did you find it helpful for your difficult child?
I'm thinking we can set reminders for morning & evening medications, then each of difficult child's classes (a reminder for which class to go to for each bell, plus a reminder shortly before class ends to remind him to write down his assignments, etc.) Plus, we could set reminders for his chores/schoolwork once he gets home. Not to mention, reminders for the weekends to help him remember to walk his dog.
I was also thinking I could also set random reminders about his thumb-sucking issue. (At 14, we have yet to find anything that will break that one stimming habit & I know that's going to become an issue for him in public school - a grown-man-sized guy sucking his thumb in school? Yeah, I see that being an issue with his peers.) You can set random reminders up to every 30 minutes. Maybe a simple reminder on a regular basis will make him more aware...maybe help him "catch" himself & break the habit.
I'd love to hear anyone else's opinion, if you've used a similar tool, if it's helped, etc.
Thanks guys!!
He has trouble remembering to do certain things on his own (take his medications, etc.) Now that he's going to be in public school, it's going to be all the more important for him to remember to do things on his own. He's going to have to remember what classes to go to next, take his medications on time, do his chores, do his homework, etc.
I thought the Watchminder might be a good thing for him. You can set up to 30 different messages at fixed times, or set random reminders, etc. His school guidance counselor recommended using a school planner for his assignments, class schedule, etc. The problem is, difficult child 2 won't remember to check his planner. He needs an auditory reminder to remember to do even simple things like check his planner.
The spec. ed. dept. chair recommended getting him a watch with an alarm. The problem with that is that most watches are limited when it comes to the number of alarms you can set. So...in doing some digging, I found the Watchminder. It looks just like a sports watch, so it wouldn't be an "obvious" tool. (difficult child 2 wants so much to give the appearance of just being an average kid.)
I was curious if anyone else has used one and if it's all the marketing junk makes it out to be. Did you find it helpful for your difficult child?
I'm thinking we can set reminders for morning & evening medications, then each of difficult child's classes (a reminder for which class to go to for each bell, plus a reminder shortly before class ends to remind him to write down his assignments, etc.) Plus, we could set reminders for his chores/schoolwork once he gets home. Not to mention, reminders for the weekends to help him remember to walk his dog.
I was also thinking I could also set random reminders about his thumb-sucking issue. (At 14, we have yet to find anything that will break that one stimming habit & I know that's going to become an issue for him in public school - a grown-man-sized guy sucking his thumb in school? Yeah, I see that being an issue with his peers.) You can set random reminders up to every 30 minutes. Maybe a simple reminder on a regular basis will make him more aware...maybe help him "catch" himself & break the habit.
I'd love to hear anyone else's opinion, if you've used a similar tool, if it's helped, etc.
Thanks guys!!