Affirmative activities are activities which the person can engage in and this provides a positive sense of who they are. Provision of affirmative activities reduces the incidences of problematic behaviors.
The person will respond to the following activities.
Head
The person will turn their head to seek out the pleasant sensory cue.
Eating
The person functioning in ACL 1 High enjoys eating sweet food in pureed or mashed form. Watch their facial expression for signs of pleasure or dislike.
Non-Verbal Sounds
Non-verbal sounds like "ooohs" and "arrhs" may be made to express like or dislike to an activity.
Hands
Functioning in ACL 1 High, their awareness of their hands is still minimal. They may leave their arm in a position for caregivers to rub pleasant smelling creams on their hand. They may also accept a safe object to hold and may participate in self-care activities by holding items for caregivers such as a wash cloth.
Body
When comfortable, the person looks relaxed and calm. Full body movements such as rocking when sitting up cause increased pleasure and alertness.
Sitting
Full postural support is required. Caregivers will have to observe for signs of fatigue and place the person back in bed to rest.
Strong Likes & Dislikes
Family members and visitors can also help identify strong dislikes, which can be avoided. The smell of certain flowers and the taste of specific foods seems to stimulate strong, often extremely negative individual reactions in a few people.