My kid had to take the bus to a special school that could accommodate his needs, he was in kindergarten. Sometimes, he would get on the bus and scream his head off… sometimes he would wait a bit before the bus got going and then scream his head off. Still not sure why. We tried breathing, riding the bus together, headphones, music, weighted blankets. The bus driver was done having him on the bus. We pulled together a story book (actually just paper cut in to three strips and stapled together) written just for him, called “Isaac doesn’t scream”. The story went like this…. Isaac doesn’t scream when he eats candy. Isaac doesn’t scream when he plays in the park, Isaac doesn’t scream when he is riding the bus, Isaac doesn’t scream when he is petting the cat. (you get the idea). Each page had big, printed words, and he and I drew the pictures. We would read it morning, noon and night. He took it on the bus. And no more screaming.
By: Melissa, mom of three