Q&A: Student Does the Splits?

Question:

I have a little girl in a moderate to severe ASD class who does splits on the floor all the time. I tried to provide proprioceptive/vestibular activities, such as jumping and crashing, but the splitting behavior stayed the same. I provided both a weighted waist belt and ankle straps, and they didn’t seem to be helping either. Any ideas?

Answer:

That’s an unusual one! She must just enjoy the full-stretch that doing the splits provides. I would give this activity a time and a place. So, on the student’s visual schedule, build in times to do the splits. And then help him learn that it’s not okay to do the splits at other points throughout the day. So, if she goes into the splits at an inappropriate time, there should be a consequence in place. OR, you could use rewards instead. Maybe a token system set up where he earns a token for every 5 minutes that she uses her body appropriately (refrains from doing the splits) and then a backup reinforcer once a certain number of tokens are earned. I would still build in times when it’s okay for him to do the splits throughout the day. I hope that helps!

Best Wishes,

Gwen