How, Where, and When Do We Use Home Base?

Home base can be used in a number of different ways – at the start of the day, to end the day, as part of the daily schedule, before or after potentially or historically stressful periods of the day, and as needed to help during difficult situations.

The following sections of when to use home base are taken from a lecture by Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D., from the University of Kansas (September 2001).

Home Base at the Start of the Day

Because the transition from home to school can be disruptive for students with ASD, a home base to start and prepare for the day may be just what is needed.

Many things can take place during home base at the start of a day:

• creating and/or previewing the daily schedule
• discussing any changes in the schedule
• reading social stories (Gray & Garand, 1993), (see ICAN topic entitled Social Stories), or Power Cards (Gagnon, 2001) (see ICAN module entitled Power Cards)
• participating in SOCCSS (see ICAN module entitled SOCCSS) (Myles & Adreon, 2001; Roosa, 1995)
• reviewing behavior plans
• touching base with a teacher about assignments
• priming (see ICAN module entitled Priming), going over activities for upcoming lessons using sensory materials to calm down or refocus a student
• organizing materials for the day

Home Base at the End of the Day

Ending the day and leaving for home can be just as difficult as the transition to school in the morning. Home base can prepare students to go home in the afternoon. This preparation might include:

• reminders or social stories about bus riding
• discussions about what the child will do at home that evening, making sure that homework (if any) is organized and understood with materials needed
• time to destress after a long day working
• time to socialize with teachers and peers
• time to start working on homework

Home Base as Part of the Existing Schedule

Scheduled breaks can help prevent stress buildup throughout the day. Home base can be placed on the child’s schedule and followed as any other activity. These breaks may be placed as needed throughout the day, but especially before and/or after particularly stressful and difficult times or classes. The duration of breaks should be determined by the student’s needs. For some, 2-5 minutes may be adequate; other students may require as much as 30 minutes to destress.