We are going to pick up the repaired iPad today, totalling around $150.  The Boy will have to “pay back” half of that cost as part of the lesson learned about throwing things while angry not being a good idea.  He will do so by stepping up with chores around the house.

It helps that this coincides with back-to-school routines, and I was inspired to use some visual cues when I saw these printable task cards.  I asked The Boy’s teacher if these would work, and she shared with me what really worked for him at school.  With her help, I came up with a plan to tackle this idea.

First, I found a list of age-appropriate chores on pinterest, and sat down with The Boy to let him choose which ones he was willing to perform at our house.  He quickly said, “I can do all of those!” – his great desire to be independent shining through.  I pared the list down to eight, and added two personal hygiene tasks that are always a struggle.

Second, I modified a chart from Home Made by Carmona that I have highlighted here before.  Rather than assigning a day per chore, I will leave that choice up to him – having choices is so powerful for our little (or not-so-little) guys with autism!

Third, I let him choose some graphics to personalize the chart.  You can see his favorite, Sonic, encouraging him with thumbs up on the bottom!

Fourth, this all goes into a plastic sleeve, so he can check things off the list as they get done with a dry erase marker – very satisfying, and great for self-monitoring! We can also re-use the paper chart each week that way.

He has a lot of choice with this plan, and if the chores don’t all get done each week, it just takes longer to get the iPad “paid off”, which means a longer period of restricted time for playing with the iPad.  Natural consequences to motivate him to get those chores done!

Here’s hoping this works…