Whether we love them or hate them New Year’s Eve is a time of reflection as well as resolution making!!
We work on goal setting as part of increasing a student’s agency with the RDI Dynamic Intelligence Curriculum so when Jake said he wanted to set some New Years Resolutions or goals for the coming new year I was not surprised.
However, I have to remind myself of how awesome it is for Jake to so easily want to make new years resolutions for himself. It truly is a testament to his motivation and belief in himself that he can do better.
Motivation is so key, especially for young adults with autism. There was a time in his life when Jake did not have internal motivation or a growth seeking drive. We worked hard to develop this and that motivation is crucial for continued growth and development. It was his idea and he is motivated by the pure desire to do better and achieve more in life, as we all are.
Jake did an introduction video of what he wants his goals to be for the New Year and then we began a more in depth look at how he can achieve those goals.
Jake created a goal preview for each goal. A goal preview is a short video of what achieving that goal will feel like. It is used to motivate you to continue working towards your goal.
Jake also created a video to address possible obstacles to his goal, what could get in the way and how can he handle that if it comes up.
Another thing to notice in the videos is the process of the dialogue as it unfolds. It is not perfect. We start out by talking about the goal of increasing reading time versus screen time, but as Jake discusses the first goal he begins to think about decreasing screen time in general to do more and varied leisure activities in his free time.
As a guide, I went with the flow of the conversation. There is no right or wrong answer. In fact, Jake even states in the video More Goal Talk that he doesn’t know if his solution will be better. He has had enough practice with the Dynamic Intelligence Curriculum that he knows he is just trying strategies out. There is no way to know if they will be successful. It is all about planning, preparing, testing it out, revising and updating. That is what Dynamic Intelligence is all about!
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!! Let’s continue to grow and learn together!
Keep rising,
Kristine
