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ENABLING "ON TRACK WITH REVIEWS"
Lay out the Rails. Shine.
SUMMARY OF THE RAILS & SHINE REVIEW PROCESS
Here you will learn about the importance of reviews. The framework will not get rid of all your challenges, but it will show you to the tools to put in your tool box. Many of them will never work, some will work partly, and once in a while you will get it exactly right. Trust your gut feeling, dare to question tools and treatments that do not seem to have any effect. Will they work if you adjust them? Will they work further ahead, when your child is passed the resistance of the new change? If your gut says no, and discussing the tools with others doesn’t change your view, then drop what your are doing. A failed tool is also part of moving forward to your goals, you are one step the wiser!
Image by Flickr/John Picken
Is it Working or Not? Why?
In your review you should evaluate if what you are doing is working or not. You also need to ask Why. Write down the lessons learned. This could from your child’s perspective be a thing like “text with more than half a page is too much” or yours “Writing a new schedule each Saturday is too much work”. It can also be a positive lesson like “black and white pictograms work better than colored”.
Compare the Effect to a Baseline
When starting out on your goal, it is a good idea to have a baseline to compare to. Your baseline should be measurable. State key numbers of how often or for how long, like how many times a day or how many minutes or hours. You could also try making your own scale, like feelings of distress or anger ranging from 1-5.
Do I Keep, Shape or Drop it?
If it is working: Is the effort worth the benefits? Are there better ways out there?
If it is not working: Do you shape and adjust what you are doing? Talk to someone for ideas? Or do you just write down your lessons learned, drop it and take on something better?
Image by Flickr/glennharper
How Often Should I Review?
That depends on what rails you are laying out. If they are new to both you and your child, you probably will need to shape and adjust your work as you move along. Reviewing at the end of each week or even each day would be wise. If you are laying out rails that are very straight-forward , like start giving Melatonin for sleep, you could decide in advance to try it 2-4 weeks and then set a review point in advance when you will decide if to continue or not, or possibly adjust the dosage or the time you give it.
Ready to Move on to the Next Tool?
When you choose your next tool or tip, try to alternate tips that put demands on your child with tips that only involves actions for you. For instance, following a schedule puts changed demands on your child, but learning the Low Arousal Approach, does only include actions on your behalf.
RailsAndShine.com
