Hard to stop, hard to switch:
transitions

Why switching is hard

Difficulty with transitions is the flip side of a strength: the ability to be fully absorbed in "now". Three things usually get in the way: the child cannot see where the end is; the next activity is less attractive or a little frightening; and the deeper the absorption, the harder the surfacing. Screens and fast games are the hardest of all, because the stimulation is strong and continuous.

Four things that work

• Warn in a form the child can see or hear — "three more slides", a clock hand, a timer — rather than only words.
• An end ritual — the same small pattern every time: high-five the slide, wave bye-bye, then go.
• A bridge to the next thing — "when we get home, snack" gives a reason to go, not only a reason to stop.
• Praise at the switch — "you came straight away!" — so that switching itself becomes something the child is good at.

The timer — used well

If the timer does not seem to work, try one that shows the remaining time visually, and warn more than once ("five minutes", "two minutes", "last one"). For games and videos, set the rule before starting, not at the end.

At daycare

Daycare days are full of transitions. If the same difficulty shows up there, tell the staff what works at home — the warning, the ritual, the bridge — in writing if your Japanese is limited. If it is a persistent problem in the group, visiting support lets our specialists work the adjustments out with the staff on site.

When to involve a specialist

When fierce resistance happens every day and daily life does not run, or the same difficulty continues at daycare, it is worth designing the environment and the approach together with a support specialist rather than fighting it alone. Transitions are something we work on routinely in the individual support plan. No diagnosis is needed to ask.