Staying Focused with Detailed Instructions

When Ellie and I were getting some behavioral modification help last year, one of the suggestions I was given was to make sure I was providing her with very specific instructions as autistic children will have trouble intuiting and planning the multiple steps that are implied in traditional educational instructions. For example, when doing a math sheet where you need to color a picture according to the answers of math problems, the sheet instructions just say "Add. Then Color." There is then a code beneath the instructions that says something like 2=green, 3=purple, 4=blue, etc. Ellie needs the instructions to be more specific she needs the instructions to say "Solve the addition problems in the shapes below and write the answers. Then look at the code. Watch your answer to the color code and color each shape with the color listed. When you are done there will be a picture. Tell me what the picture is." The Dr. we were working with suggested I just write these additional notes on Post-Its and stick them to the worksheets I put in Ellie's daily folders. It was a simple suggestion but one that made a huge difference in my homeschooling day. Ellie doesn't have to spend as much time struggling to plan out intermediate steps (which causes her to loose focus) and I don't have to keep after her to get back to work. So with this change of providing more detailed directions, Ellie is able focus better and complete independent work more expediently.Interestingly, the idea of providing specific instructions to achieve specific results was provided as another tip in John Wesley's article on increasing motivation at PicktheBrain.com . I know that some of the curriculums I choose have very detailed instructions, they lay out exactly what I am to say and exactly what the girls are to do. I have found that these curriculums tend to be the easiest for me to use because I don't find myself putting off planning our assignments because I know everything I need will be spelled out for me and I won't have to spend a lot of extra time planning out my lessons. The curriculums that work this way for me are:Math-Saxon Math Language-First Language LessonsSpelling-All About SpellingWriting-Just Write by EPSGeography-Evan-Moor's daily Geography PracticeThe subjects that send me meandering around are:Reading-I sort of choose an eclectic bunch of books based on various reading lists including Sonlight suggestions.Penmanship-We are done with Handwriting Without Tears for the Year and not ready to move into the next books so I spend time trying to figure out different sorts of copywork. Ellie primarily uses Draw, Write Now and I usually make Savannah her own copywork sheets using the Start Write Program.Art/Fine Motor-I have the A Beka Art books but I'm not thrilled with all the projects so I am always searching the Internet, looking into my craft boxes or running to Michael's to find things to do.Social Studies-I have been creating my own curriculum for the past 2 years and end up getting very distracted and loosing focus when I am trying to plan our lessons.I am coming to terms with the fact that although it is cheaper for me to come up with my curriculum, I may need to actually purchase a few extra products next year to help me stay focused and motivated. Like Ellie, I need those specific instructions to achieve the specific results I want, otherwise my mind wanders, I loose track of the task that I am working on and my job doesn't get done. And needless to say, the job not getting done, brings on my stress and anxiety. So in the end, I need to recognize my distractibility and realize how that impacts my ability to work without a detailed and structured system and make the necessary changes so that I will be more focused and productive.