Visual Schedules

I began using visual schedules with my students who were diagnosed with autism several years ago. It didn't take long to realize that all of the students in my class benefited from the use of visual schedules. It allowed them to predict what was going to happen next, even though my classroom is highly structured and predictable. All of the children liked the ability to look up and see what was coming next. Behavior issues in my classroom decreased, and the anxiety that some of my students were exhibiting was lessened.

No matter what the age, I find that all children need a schedule that is easy for them to follow. For younger children or children with disabilities, a schedule should include pictures of the activity. For older, more advanced children, they may not need this level of support. They are often able to use a Day Planner or an electronic calendar much like most adults use. There are as many different versions of visual schedules as there are children.

This is a great tool for parents of students with some type of disability to use in the home as well. I find the most effective use of these in the home is to have two schedules, one for the morning routine and one for the evening routine. Most parents that have implemented the use of visual schedules in the home reported to me that their children were far more independent that they had been previously.

Visual schedules can easily be made using a Word document and clip art or pictures from the Internet. There is also a program that I use in the classroom called Boardmaker. It has templates and pictures readily available for your use. It can be purchased by going to www.mayer-johnson.com/boardmaker. Another site that has ready made visual schedules is http://www.schkidules.com/index.html.