Effective Management of Autism - Visual Schedules

Many children with autism have difficulty processing auditory information. Visual schedules provide these children with a visual road map of their day. This helps them know what to expect, provides structure, relieves anxiety and reduces trouble with transitions. Provide your child with support when you use a visual schedule.

Because most children with ASD are visual learners, creating a visual schedule of the day's activities can illustrate what is expected, as well as what is expected from them. A visual schedule does not have to be another expensive therapy prop you have to go run out and purchase. The schedule can be created using a basic clipboard or a small two-ring binder that can be found in any office store, a small roll of self-adhesive Velcro, and printed out pictures of clip-art or hand drawn objects roughly 1"X 1".

Step 1: Establish what places, activities, and classes the child will be visiting or taking part in.

Step 2: Find a picture that depicts each place, activity, or class. The number of pictures depends on the number of different activities the child will take part in during a course of a week. Pictures can be found on-line. They can be photographs, or if you are a good artist, hand-drawn. The key to choosing a picture is making sure it conveys the correct concept. For example, a picture of a book that says "math" on the cover may not be the best image to use for math class, while a picture with numbers or an actual math problem may be easier to understand. Once you have chosen all of your pictures, make them all a similar size and cut them out into small squares. (Tip: Laminate each picture with a thick laminate so they can be used for years to come.)

Step 3: Cut the self-adhesive Velcro into small squares roughly half the size of each picture. Apply the soft side to the backs of each picture. Apply five to six Velcro squares (rough side) to the clipboard or to the outside of a small binder. Put all of the pictures into a zip lock bag or a pencil pouch that you attach to the binder or clipboard. By using a binder or clipboard, you can bring it where ever you go. TIP: It is important to limit the number of activities shown on the visual schedule at one time. More than five or six activities can be too overwhelming. Rewards and/or fun activities should also be present on the schedule.

TIP for starting out: Use the schedule for fun activities or rewards the child enjoys. If the child likes to play games on the computer, create a visual schedule around computer time. I.E. Show a picture of the computer, snack, toy time, etc. This way the child will not associate the schedule with activities he/she does not like.

The visual schedule can be used from the time the child wakes up to illustrate the different tasks he/she must do in order to get ready for school and then what classes or activities he/she will be taking part in while at school. The child can keep the visual schedule at his/her desk or the teacher may even allow you to keep the schedule on the wall and incorporate that into the whole class's transition from one activity to another. Once the child gets use to the visual, he can be responsible for "setting his/her schedule" and checking off each activity, so to speak by taking it off the board and placing the pictures into the bag. This is a helpful tool to use when taking the child into new environments, such as a sit down restaurant.

But the most important thing you can do is maintain constant communication between the child's teachers, therapists, and all who work with him/her so that everyone is on the same page. Teaching a child to do one thing in one environment and something else in another is counter-productive. A visual chart can alleviate a lot of confusion, when dealing with transitions.

Chris de Feijter holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education in Special Educational Needs and Educational Psychology. He currently works as a Special Needs Consultant in Canada. Chris also runs online behaviour management programs for children troubled by Autism, ADHD and ODD. To find out more about his work, visit http://www.smartasd.com

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