Dinner Directions

Today is one of those rare, very rare, instances where I won't be home to make dinner for Sam. Because of this, I've staged his dinner in the refrigerator (leftover baked apple pancake - which he helped make) and I walked him through the steps to heat it up.

We've gone through this routine a few times before -  heating up pizza and making oatmeal come to mind - and it's a routine that seems to have worked pretty well for him. 

It's a process. We walk through the directions together, breaking it down into simple, step-by-step directions. Then we walk through it again, even more slowly, so Sam can write it down.

I feel as if writing it down does two things for him. First, I think the process of him doing the writing helps him to better internalize the directions. We take it slow - because that's his writing style - and he repeats it out loud as he writes. And second, it gives him a handy, simple reference guide for when it's time to heat things up. 

The problem isn't that Sam doesn't understand the words (that is, it's not a problem depending on how the information is given to him). The problem is that he can't hold the different steps in his head. 

I think this routine of ours helps. At least, it has when it comes to heating up the pizza and making oatmeal. We'll see how well it works when it comes to heating up baked apple pancake.