Getting Started with Visual Schedules

Parent-teacher conferences were this week, and Becca got amazing feedback from her teachers and her therapists. During the conversation, they mentioned that they implemented a visual schedule for her to help her with classroom routines and transitions. She has been doing really well with the visual schedule, especially now that she has mastered the art of matching. I had tried to implement one at home a while back, but couldn't figure out how to make it work since she wasn't paying attention as I tried to model which cards went with which activities in the home.

Visual scheduling is an approach which is designed to help people on the Autism spectrum with everyday routines, daily skills, and communication. In a nutshell, a visual schedule is an aid that parents, teachers, or caregivers create to help timetable elements of a day, week or month. A visual schedule helps the learner picture the day, week, or month ahead and can be particularly useful for people on the Autism spectrum as many are visual learners. A visual schedule can be used in a variety of ways:

• To create daily/weekly schedules with visual blocks of time

• To show sequential steps in a task such as a bedtime routine or getting dressed

• To demonstrate units of time

• To make a “to do” list

• To aid communication for those who are non verbal or semi verbal

• To offer choices

There are different ways of making a schedule and they can be adapted according to each individual family. Some families need a daily schedule to help with the daily routine, some need a schedule for home life in general, some for the school day, some just need smaller prompts to help their children stay organized with specific events. Some websites help to create customized printable visual schedule, first-then boards, picture cards, color coded charts, and much more. In essence, a visual schedule is a different thing for each individual family and can be adapted accordingly. I have even started to adapt visual schedules into sensory activities like clay making, finger painting, or cooking to help Becca visualize all of the required steps and carry them out. In our case, since Becca is sensory-seeking, using visual cues helps keep her focused and on task.

Tips to make a visual schedule

Make more than one schedule.

You should have a “stay at home routine” and a “going to school routine.”  After your child goes to sleep or before he/she wakes in the morning, hang up the appropriate chart.  If you take vacations then make charts for them, too.

Make the time slots vague

Some tasks need to be specific where others are better left vague. For instance, you can make one image for playtime, one for craft time, and one for TV time.  This way it allows some room for adjustment. Playtime can be at a park, at a friend’s house, the library, a children’s museum, or in your living room.

Craft time does not mean that you need to create an elaborate craft. It could be coloring in a coloring book, cutting pictures out of an old magazine on another day, and a foam craft with glue dots a different day.

TV time does not need to be predetermined at the time of the schedule - we don't need to know which program or how long. This allows for flexibility in the activity, depending on what's going on that day. The important thing isn't the specific activity or the specific length of time. It's consistency. Select a schedule that works for your family, and stick with it. Autistic individuals thrive on routines and predictability.

Just start

Your initial picture schedule does not need to be perfect. You can always add more images as and when needed. Get a basic starting point, test it out, and then add as you go.

Events need to end

When an event is done there should be a place to flip over the card or put it in an attached envelope.  Becca's teachers added Velcro to the back of the cards so that she can tear the card off of the schedule as the task is completed. This serves as an additional sensory task that helps with her fine motor skills, while signaling to Becca that she has completed the activity and now it is time to move on to the next task. Transitions can sometimes be challenging for Autistic individuals, so creating a functional schedule can help to alleviate some of the stress involved with ending an activity, especially those activities that they prefer.

Using “First-Then” charts is recommended before initiating an entire schedule

A “first-then” board or chart is used to get a child to do an essential task before doing a task that they prefer to do.  First, eat your lunch.  Then, you can play. This helps get your child used to using visual cues in smaller steps leading up to a larger schedule.

Decide on the format for your visual schedule

There are many formats for visual schedules, some that you can purchase on Amazon for your wall, some that you can create yourself online, you can print out your own photos, or you can even download an app on your phone. Each has its pros and cons. For instance, when I first decided to implement visual schedules, I decided to purchase one on Amazon, thinking that it would save a lot of time as the cards were pre-printed. However, when I received the kit, I noticed that many of the cards were not relevant for our family and so it was difficult to use. Printing our own cards made more sense in our case. It takes more time, but ultimately we believe it will be more successful for Becca.

If you have access to a laminator, I recommend laminating the pictures and the “board” that you will be using.  The “board” can simply be a 9 by 12 sheet of paper or piece of cardstock that is laminated.  Then, print and laminate a variety of pictures for your varied activities.  Once the pictures are laminated you can stick Velcro strips (available at local craft stores or online) to the back of them.  Don’t forget to staple or tape an envelope at the bottom of your board to store the pictures that are not in use.

We are still at the beginning stages of our visual scheduling journey, but we are excited about its potential. Now that we have a little more experience with these cards and the many ways they can be used, we are working on expanding their use at home: for sensory play, to make choices, and to help teach Becca certain routines. Since she is minimally verbal, these cards allow her to express needs in more concrete ways, which prevents frustration and meltdowns, and increases independence.