NO! Not the FINGERNAIL CLIPPERS! Autism SENSORY OVERLOAD.

Logan is our 22 year old son and he has Autism. He hates having his fingernails and toenails cut just as much as he hates having his hair cut. This is a serious sensory overload situation for some individuals with Autism. We have to resort to bribery in order to clip his nails. Many grooming tasks are just not very easy for us. There has to be something in it for him, otherwise he will fight and resist.


Poem Lyrics in video:

Before we get to the main event, that you have all come to see
First we must take care of his teeth and face, for these are as easy as 123

We start with his teeth. These must be clean
We brush and we brush. This is all rather routine

One thing that you will notice is that he does not spit any of it out.
For this reason, we use fluoride-free toothpaste, no doubt.

Next up is the mouthwash. This is really just more of the same
Brush it all around in there. That is the name of the game.

We brush his teeth at least twice a day.
Twice a day, to keep those nasty cavities away.

Now that the teeth are done, next up is his face.
It’s time for a shave, yup, that’s the case.

He tolerates this so well, there really is no problem at all with this.
Why is this so easy, since cutting his nails and hair, he will so emphatically resist?

Lather him up, and then shave it all off bit by bit.
Not as many nerve endings in the face, could that have something to do with it?

Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Now don’t you fret.
The fingernail part with the bribe is coming up. Just not quite yet.

Shave, shave, shave. Shave all that facial hair away.
No more scratchy face. Nope, not today.

Next, we wipe his face, so that it is all clean.
He knows what is coming next. Yup, you know what I mean.

She is about to grab the clippers and quickly transition to trimming his nails.
He see’s it coming, pulls away - then the bribe is offered. Just listen for the details.

So there you have it. We had this planned along
We knew this zoo bribery would work, and we were not wrong.

She offered the bribe first. She took the lead
But this first attempt at the bribe did not succeed.

He didn’t give in until he heard it from me
For I am the one that is taking him to the zoo, you see.

So she trims those nails, she trims them one at a time.
To get this done there must be something in it for him. A little tricky, but it’s not a crime.

Oh no! That was his towel. It just fell to the floor!
I know, I’ll just blur things out. No need to worry anymore.

Well, the nails are almost done and that’s all we have time for today
For now it’s time to go to the zoo, because there is a bribe that I must pay.