Well, it has finally happened – the Little Guy has discovered the joys of Chuck E. Cheese’s. He had been there twice before, at least a year ago, but wasn’t able to play most of the games at that point and hadn’t understood the connection between playing games, getting tickets and redeeming them for prizes.
Then last Wednesday, Hands-Free Heart calls and says she is making an emergency stop at CEC’s and do we want to join them, since we live close by and the boys are great pals. So we go and have a wonderful time playing games and collecting tickets. When it is about time to leave, we look over the available prizes and, to my amazement, he decides to hold on to his tickets until he can earn enough for a better prize! Wow, can anyone say impulse control and delayed gratification!!
From there, we are on our way to music therapy and he happily gets out of the car, goes into the building, stops at the bathroom and enters the therapy room, all with not one complaint (this has been a big issue for a while now). Mom & therapist are both very happy 
Friday there is a make-up session for music therapy, but the TSS also has hours to get in, so she takes him from daycare to CEC’s, and I pick him up in time to get to music. By giving the tokens one at a time and requiring him to answer what game he was going to play and how to play it, she got some great responding to questions out of him.
Getting to music was again stress-free, so now we are working on a plan to use these little golden reinforcers to motivate some of the behaviors we are looking for. Of course, I don’t want to take the joy out of a fun childhood experience, but you have to use anything that works as long as you can!!
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This is so great but funny to me. I hate CEC because it is a total sensory overload for me to be in there. Maybe I need some therapy.
That is wonderful to see Little Guy doing so well. It is a testimony to your devotion and love for him!!
Hi there! I’ve stopped by before, on a quick cruise-by, but never commented. How are ya? It’s nice to be able to catch up on your life and see how you guys are doing these days. Although one of our common friends has updated me on you guys occasionally when I ask
Come by my “place” and say hi if you get a chance 
And your book list looks DAUNTING! That’s a lot of thinking going on there 
I have avoided CEC’s like the plague.
Some may say I am depriving my boys – but for me it’s saving my sanity. Ha!
I’m with TCC – that place is my least favorite place in. The. Whole. World. Just ask my kids – they know.
And I have 3 boys – makes no difference 