Washing Dishes

Children with ASD can find the goal of washing dishes difficult to master. Children with ASD struggle to keep their environment clean and organized. They often perceive broad and/or complex cleaning tasks (such as “Cleaning the Kitchen”) as monumental and rather intimidating tasks, feelings which can lead to frustration and meltdowns. For broad and/or complex long-term goals such as “Cleaning the Kitchen,” it may be useful to track and measure somewhat less complex goals, such as, for example, the short-term goal of “Washing Dishes.” Helping your child to learn to wash dishes can promote independence, build confidence, and develop organizational skills. Depending on your child’s skill level and abilities, “Washing Dishes” could be either a long-term goal or a short-term goal.

The following strategies may help your child make progress towards mastering the short-term goal of washing the dishes:

• Break the washing of the dishes into multiple smaller tasks. Ask your child to do specific smaller tasks in order to complete the short-term goal of washing the dishes. For example, asking your child to put all the dirty cutlery in the sink is one smaller task. Then directing your child to wash the dirty cutlery is a second smaller task. Other examples include putting all dirty cups in the sink (followed by washing the dirty cups), putting all dirty plates in the sink (followed by washing the dirty plates), etc. Use positive reinforcement upon completion of every single smaller dish washing task to encourage them to repeat that level of cooperation or build on it: offer a piece of candy, extra play time, etc. You may want to ask your child to only wash their own dishes in order to avoid your child feeling overwhelmed by having to wash too many dishes. For example, you can ask your child to wash their own dishes at the end of every meal. Positive reinforcement may also come as the reward of completing a daily routine, or for completing all scheduled activities in a given day. Phase out the positive reinforcement when the skill has been sufficiently acquired. If the reinforcer for the behavior is a tangible item, such as a small snack or a token for a token board, ensure that it is provided with a great deal of verbal praise. Ideally, you want your child’s positive behaviors to be supported solely by social reinforcement. 
• Make it fun. Encourage turn taking, and reward cooperation. Observe your child and move to a different activity if they become overwhelmed by the task. Return later to washing the dishes, and try to make the activity more entertaining. Make silly noises while washing, drying, or putting an item away on your turn. Consider using a song to begin or accompany cleaning (see below). Your child is more likely to cooperate if they perceive the activity as a game or something fun. Increase the rewards to speed up the process. Use positive reinforcement to encourage your child to repeat that level of cooperation or build on it. The positive reinforcement should be an age and effort appropriate reward: a cool sticker, a piece of candy, a small toy, an extra bedtime story, extra videogame time, etc. Phase out the positive reinforcement when the skill has been sufficiently acquired. If the reinforcer for the behavior is a tangible item, such as a small snack or a token for a token board, ensure that it is provided with a great deal of verbal praise. Ideally, you want your child’s positive behaviors to be supported solely by social reinforcement. 

Clean Up Song | Tidy Up Song | The Singing Walrus - YouTube

• Provide a model prompt. Where appropriate, provide model prompts for your child as part of the task analyses for each cleaning activity. If the behavior is not displayed, end the trial and provide the appropriate level of prompting on the following trial. For example, employ a model prompt to show your child what to do at the beginning of the following trial (e.g., model for your child how to put all the dirty cutlery in the sink).
• Use a visual that is activity specific. Make a chart for each activity that outlines the steps your child needs to take in order to clean up after themselves once they conclude a specific activity. 

• --> For instructions on how to make and customize charts to meet your child’s specific needs and skill level, see Create Chore Chart for Kids With ADHD or Autism That Work (getgoally.com) and Visual Schedule for Autism: How to Create Your Own (healthline.com)

• Consider what supplies you have on hand. When developing task analyses (or using the ones provided below) for washing, drying, and putting away dishes, it can be useful to think through what child-friendly cleaning supplies and tools you have on hand and where they are located (for example, rubber gloves, rags or wipes, soap and water, etc.). Ask yourself if these items are accessible to your child and if your child  knows where to find them and how to use them. Ask yourself whether any of these items and supplies might present challenges for your child due to sensory or motor-control issues. Consider how you might help your child with sensory or motor-control issues navigate washing, drying, and putting away dishes and cutlery successfully.

For the short-term goal of washing dishes, you can choose a target such as washing dishes in the sink or washing dishes with a dishwasher.

Step 1: Decide how you would like for your child to wash the dishes. For example, you can choose the target of washing dishes in the sink while working on the short-term goal of washing dishes. The task analysis for washing dishes in the sink could be as follows:

1. Pick up dirty dishes and cutlery.
2. Place dirty dishes and cutlery on the counter or in the sink.
3. Put on rubber gloves.
4. Retrieve sponge or rag.
5. Turn on the faucet.
6. Put dish soap on sponge or rag, then wet sponge or rag with warm/hot water.
7. Use the wet and soapy sponge or rag to wash each dirty dish and piece of cutlery.
8. Rinse each dish or piece of cutlery with warm/hot water.
9. Place wet, clean dishes and cutlery in the dish rack to dry.
10. (Optional) Retrieve dry towel.
11. (Optional) Use the dry towel to dry each clean dish and piece of cutlery.                                                                                                                                                                 

Step 2: An initial/specific discriminative stimulus (SD) should be selected that will cue your child that the task must start. This SD can be a picture or a verbal SD such as, "Ok, it's time to wash dishes," or "Let’s wash dishes!," etc.

Step 3: Collect baseline level data by providing the SD from Step 2 and allowing your child to attempt independently. The baseline level will vary according to your child and their specific abilities. Take data on which steps were accurately done independently. For example, you can count how many steps in a row (from the task analysis in Step 1) your child can complete independently. Alternatively, if your child is able to complete the entire task analysis independently, record how long it takes your child to meet the target independently (e.g., 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, etc.).

Step 4: To begin the trial to monitor progress towards meeting the target (i.e., the target of washing dishes in the sink), provide the SD from Step 2 and allow your child to attempt independently. When your child is successful, provide reinforcement. If the reinforcer for the behavior is a tangible item such as a small snack or a token for a token board ensure that it is provided with a great deal of verbal praise. Ideally, you want your child's positive behaviors to be supported solely by social reinforcement. If the behavior was not displayed, end the trial and provide the appropriate level of prompting on the following trial. For example, employ a model prompt to show your child what to do at the beginning of the following trial (e.g., model for your child how to pick up the dirty dishes and cutlery and place them in the sink or on the counter, put on rubber gloves, retrieve a sponge or rag, dampen it and add dish soap, wash and then rinse each item, and finally, either place the items in a dish rack or dry them with a towel). 

Step 5: Collect data on how your child makes progress. For example, count how many steps in a row (from the task analysis in Step 1) your child can complete independently. Decide if you want to utilize forwards or backwards chaining to teach the steps that your child may struggle to complete independently. Alternatively, you can track progress by recording how long it takes your child to complete all the steps from the task analysis in Step 1. Or, alternatively, you can track progress by counting the number of successful attempts at washing dishes in the sink over a certain number of sessions. 

Step 6: Track how your child makes progress to meet the target of washing dishes in the sink by comparing with either a number threshold or a percentage threshold (necessary to meet the target). For example, you can record the number of successful attempts at washing dishes in the sink over a certain number of sessions, and compare that with the number threshold necessary to meet the target. Alternatively, you can record what percentage of times your child can complete all the steps from the task analysis in Step 1, and compare that with the percentage threshold necessary to meet the target. 

Some useful resources:

Washing the Dishes Social Story — PAAutism.org, an ASERT Autism Resource Guide 

Washing Dishes (Text and Voice) - Penquis ADL Tools - YouTube

Montessori Washing Dishes · Child Led Life