Autism daily schedules

What is a daily schedule?

A daily schedule is exactly what it is called! It schedules the daily activities but instead of using text, you can use pictures or a mixture of text and pictures that will be easier for your child to recognise. Autistic children are very visual and pictures are a good way of communicating, particularly if they have speech and language difficulties associated with their Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

A schedule is able to show the child what their plan for the morning/afternoon/day is. The schedule itself can be a simple piece of card, laminated if possible. The card may have strips of Velcro attached which is used to for adding and removing picture cards although there are many creative ideas of designing a schedule that you may want to explore before you choose how to make yours. You will need to keep the idea consistent and stick with it. If you design a red laminated schedule and use a variety of picture cards, don't decide to change the cards after a few weeks because there are 'prettier ones' on the Internet and don't change the schedule, for example from horizontal to vertical strips or change the colour, as the change will only confuse your child.

Once you have made your schedule, you will need to print out and laminate some picture cards and again, there are many good websites that offer free printable resources for schedules. One of my favourites is www.do2learn.com.

How to start using it

Now this won't really apply if your child attends a special school as they are very clued up when it comes to using Schedules. The same can't be said for all mainstream schools and if your child is about to start school or is already at school, whether diagnosed or not, a schedule is a very helpful tool when helping a child who adapts better to society if they know what is going on! (In fact it is a helpful tool for many children, regardless if they have special needs or not!).

I would strongly suggest using a 'Now and Then' piece of card first. (Some refer to it as 'now and next' - either way, all it needs to be is a simple piece of A4 paper, draw a line down the middle and at the top of the paper write (or better still, type) 'Now' on the left side, and 'then' on the right side. laminate the card then add a small square of velcro in the middle of each side. This will be used to introduce your child to schedules. Do not confuse your child with lots of different cards. Introduce a few cards at a time, give them time to learn these cards before introducing more and when you are confident they recognise the cards, introduce another. Don't change the cards, keep them simple picture cards, picture and text or photos. If you have decided to use a 'Now and Then' schedule, be consistent, don't stop using it after a few days because it doesn't seem to be working as it can take time and make sure it is used throughout the day, every day.

When your child is showing signs of using the 'Now and Then' schedule confidently, you could start to introduce the daily schedule. Again, using the same cards as before, put 2 or 3 at a time on the schedule to start and possibly introduce a 'posting envelope' or box next to the schedule so that when they have completed a task, they can post it or pop it in the 'finished' envelope. Over time (and do give them time), you can introduce more cards and eventually, have a schedule that shows cards for the whole morning, then afternoon, then all day if using at home. Changes of course do occur and you may need to introduce a 'change' card which informs your child a change will be taking place but I can't emphasize enough it is important to introduce all these cards and schedule ideas very slowly and over time.

If you believe your child would benefit from using a schedule at school, speak to the Teacher and ask if they can provide you with a timetable. You could offer to make the schedule at home if it helps and then give the Teaching Staff guidelines on the use of the schedule.

As I mentioned before, there are lots of different ways of making schedules and plenty of free resources on the internet. Be consistent with any changes and allow your child time to adjust to using a schedule. It is something different, may not be appreciated for a while but used over time and they can make a real positive difference!