Today was laser tag! We started off in the office and worked just to talk a bit and review what would occur. The original plan had been to head off to laser tag in Sherman Oaks then have lunch at Hamburger Hamlet. As it turned out, they preferred In N' Out nearby, so we had one laser tag game, went to lunch, then returned for a second game. It all went extremely smoothly and they appeared to have good time. Going to laser tag represent a highly stimulating experience for some and can be a bit frightening for others. None of the kids had a significant challenge and no one seemed bothered by the noises, dark environment, or flashing lights.
Lunch went smoothly. Juggling orders for 14 teens would seem a challenge, but the group cooperated so well together that it went very smoothly. In the early sessions, I had the counselor interspersed with the kids. But now, they sit on the side or at the end and just "rabbit punch prompt" as needed. This form of prompting (my term for it) means they go over, facilitate the opportunity for a desired behavior to occur, then get out of the way. Same for reinforcement, which is typically social praise or in the form of a ticket (we just tell them and check it off on our clipboard when we're out of the office.)
The bus ride to and from went smoothly as well. Nearly all of the kids were socializing and, even though a couple had never ridden a public bus before and expressed some trepidation, no problems arose. The wait for the bus on the way back (came right away on the way there) was considerably, perhaps 20 minutes, and some of the teens showed more signs of impatience, which addressed with them. Upon returning to the office, there was just enough time for them to get water and head out for the pickup.
Definitely a busy, hectic, fun day!
Bruce
