Description
£26.00 – £29.00
Often when Tom was crying, I did not know why.
Was he in pain, sad, anxious, overwhelmed or may be hungry? He struggled to find the words to tell me why he was crying and this made him angry and frustrated. I felt terrible. How could I help him if I didn’t know why he was upset?
These experiences showed me that Tom needed a simple nonverbal way to communicate his immediate needs and feelings with us and others.
Tom was already using a visual schedule for home routines, so we knew he found it easier to understand pictures rather than spoken words. We started using visuals to help Tom learn how to recognise his emotions and share his feelings. Showing him faces displaying different emotions, parts of the body, body signs such as feeling too hot or too cold, hungry or tired and common sensory triggers for example, the surroundings being too bright or noisy.
When Tom could identify his emotions, he was able to show us by using the visuals how he was feeling. We now understood his behaviour, and this meant we could help him and also show him how he could help himself feel better. This led to a reduction in his anger and frustration as he felt understood and validated. Knowing he had the skills to cope with his feelings made him more relaxed and content.
We created this kit to help children of all abilities learn emotional regulation skills and remind them how to find calm in times of fear, worry or frustration.
With this kit you can quickly and easily create personalised prompts and reminders to help your child identify their emotions, communicate their immediate personal needs and develop self-help strategies so like Tom, your child can say ‘I can manage my feelings’ too!
Add the I can do it share how I feel mini kit tag for £3.00 ( use the drop down box below to add this tag)
Click the gallery to view the symbol images
Dimensions
The TomTag I Can Do It range was originally designed by a mum to help her autistic son, Tom. With this range, it’s quick and easy to make personalised visual timelines, reminders, checklists and prompts which can be used anywhere in the home, at school, in care settings or when out and about.
TomTag visual supports can provide structure and guidance to help children and young people make sense of, remember, and master the steps involved in learning key skills to manage their daily lives.
TomTag is easy to clean and keep hygienic. TomTag’s plastic button holders and blank buttons can be washed in warm water and a little hand soap should they become dirty and dried with a soft cloth. The stickers are highly water resistant. Simply wipe over with a wet cloth or anti-bacterial wipe.
TomTag uses symbols to show a series of separate tasks or steps involved in a task that are part of a routine, sequence of events in a timeline or they can be used as a list to teach a new skill by breaking down a single activity into smaller steps.
Many children with autism and other additional needs have strong visual skills. They are more likely to remember and understand what they have seen rather than what they hear. Using a visual support like TomTag to present information visually and in a step-by-step manner allows visual thinkers and learners to take in information at their own pace. Visuals can act as a reminder when children forget what’s been said or become distracted. TomTag helps to bring their attention back to the task or current situation.
“We needed to call an ambulance this weekend for our daughter and her TomTags meant she was able to communicate with the ambulance crew. In fact the paramedics were so impressed they made a note of them and they said they were going to have a look at what sets were available!”
“These strips are our “I am struggling”, “cooling down” and “expected behaviour” strips. He uses these when verbal communication fails him”
WARNING: Please note – TomTag is not a toy. Not suitable for children under 36 months due to small parts.
Kit type | standard kit, plus Share how I feel minikit tag |
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