Ever feel like you have just had a V8 moment? I recently did when I realized that ANY change in activity is a “transition” for my son. For a while, I have known that a change in our normal routine such as going away for the weekend, going on vacation or starting back at school were transitions and could produce great anxiety for our son.

Now that he has been officially diagnosed with ADD (ADHD – inattentive), I realize that any change in activity is a transition. Different types of transitions produce different levels of reaction but it has now entered my consciousness that I need to prepare him for transitioning from play time to dinner as much as I need to prepare him for a new activity or going away for the weekend.
 

 
Major Transitions or New Activities

Vacations and traveling weekend plans have consistently caused much anxiety with our son. To address this, we have always talked through the travel plans in detail extensively before the actual trip. Where are we going, how long we going to be there, what we are going to do while there, where will we sleep, where will we eat and so forth. We typically discuss the travel plans for a week or two before leaving. Sometimes we also play act the new situation. We dress up and pretend we are leaving for our plans at that moment and play through what is going to occur.
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