I’d be inclined to say that quiet is good, and the last few days, it’s been quiet around the house.

The Monster’s not been putting up as much of a fight about getting his homework done – of course, there’s not been a lot of it of late, but that’s not what is important.  What is important is the fact that it’s getting done.  And that’s based on minor changes around the table.

The wife ended up putting a rubber band on his seat at the table, sort of like the one he has at school (see Elsewhere in the Classroom).  It’s helped to keep him on-target at the table, since he can now stim himself without causing himself or others too much distraction.  The only time now that he seems to really get upset about being at the table is when R decides that he absolutely has to be sitting in the Monster’s chair.

I’ll admit that I’m still not 100% certain about how I feel about the rubber band issue.  It feels a lot like we’re somewhat tying him to his chair, albeit with his consent (since he decides when he’s sticking his feet in it), and I hate to think that we’re restraining him at the table at his age to get him to behave.  We’ve not found another option, though, that seems to do the job – shy of finding him a wiggle chair or getting a weighted lap pad or vest, it’s the most effective solution we have for his self-distractions at the moment.

I’m sure that this, like so many other things we’ve tried, will eventually stop being effective, but it’s working for now.