In affirmative activity programs, there are a limited number of manual actions that sustain their attention. If they can recall actions in the person's activity history that the person did a lot, those activities may help preserve the person's identity. Engaging in those activities during visits maintains family connections with the person who is still here.

Very few people can talk and do manual actions at the same time. After they are finished, they may indicate that they are done and express surprise about making something. They can also say what they did and would like to do again.

You can expect them to express surprise, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, pleasure and dislike for different activities. Big expressions of joy and exhilaration are rare.

The person may fool you that everything is right when you first start speaking with the person until you realise that what they say may make no sense or does not verify with what is actually going on around them. They will have difficulty keeping on the same topic and answering questions about time and place.

Sensory information like sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, deep pressure and vestibular stimulation captures the person's attention. Sensory stimulation activities are used to provide pleasant sensations that keeps the person happily occupied. Use an activity like placing flowers in a vase. The person will likely to continue the task until all the supplies are used up.

Pictures may be used with the person but they can't be too busy. Just a subject on a pretty bland background may capture the person's attention.

The person can walk around on flat surfaces if they have no other physical limitations. They will enjoy walking freely and following flat clearly marked paths. Movement information is very calming especially for people who are unable to ambulate. Providing an outing while being pushed in a wheelchair can be very relaxing.

The concept of a line captures the person's attention. They will use the line to determine when they are all done. Being done involves filling all spaces within the shape formed by the line. You can control how long you want the activity to go on by adjusting the amount of supplies available. Larger pictures take longer to colour in. We have provided some pictures to colour in that you can download from www.acdmweb.com/downloads.

The concept of doing an activity is a classification of at least three steps or actions to complete a goal. Within ACL 3.8, the goal is partially understood by the idea of being done, but they do not really have an idea of what the finished project would look like. Without an idea of what the finished product ought to be, they lack a standard of performance and their completed projects are a mess of obvious random actions. The classification of doing an activity is incomplete.

The expected task performance revolves around the concept that all supplies must be used or all empty spaces are covered. Attention is not focused on the results of their actions but on the start and end of the activity which is when all supplies are used up or spaces are covered.

Assistance is required to remove all dangerous objects and the supplies limited to suite a desired duration.

Once they focus on getting done, you will be hard pressed to take their project away from them. Most people stubbornly resist stopping until they have used all and can become combative if a project is removed forcefully. Threats of missing a meal may have no effect on them.

Sustained attention to all is often maintained for 30 to 60 minutes.

A schedule of activities that would prevent troublesome behaviour probably requires 3 or 4 hours a day. Affirmative activities can be done in groups of 8 or 10 people functioning in ACL 3.8 and above.

Their response time is about the same as ACL 3.6, which is between 5 and 10 seconds.

Requests to hurry up are not apt to capture their attention and have no effect on their performance.