During the first 13 or 14 years of marriage, I never took off my wedding ring. Then, one day I was late for a meeting. I was running through the parking lot to get to my car, and the ring went flying off. I couldn’t find it. Later that evening, I bought a metal detector and searched the parking lot again–no luck. I asked in the school lost and found if anyone had turned it in. No luck, it was gone. After a few days, we went to a jewelry store and picked out a new wedding ring. A few days later, I noticed it was gone again. No idea where I lost it this time. This was starting to get expensive. Therefore, I went on Amazon and bought a package of 10 rings for $2. I still have several rings leftover and that was at least ten years ago.
When we are working with kids with autism, we often underestimate how likely it is that things will be misplaced during sessions. Misplaced supplies can ruin a session. We often think the solution is to be careful with supplies; put everything away when finished, and always maintain a neat and clean work environment. Sure, those are great habits that are very helpful, but not always possible. Some kids have a lot of energy and enjoy running around. Sometimes there are lots of people in an environment, making it difficult to keep all supplies in one spot. Sometimes you might have too much going on and misplace something critical.
A very helpful strategy is to have a bunch of cheap extras so that if you lose a couple, it is no big deal. Have a bunch of extra laminated cards you need for your session. Print extra worksheets, datasheets, or coloring pages. Make sure you have a stock of extra batteries, sound buttons, or crayons. Whatever is critical for the session to be successful, have extras. Especially if you can get them cheap, like 10 rings for $2.