Visual Schedules

Visual schedules are fantastic for supporting children to understand expectations both at home and in the classroom. They can reduce anxiety by giving children an understanding of what is happening in their day, and they are perfect for developing independence. Often when we suggest using visuals, parents and teachers will worry that visuals will make their child stand out or appear different to others. In reality, we all use visuals every day. How many adults use a diary? Or set reminders in their phone? Who writes a shopping list or meal plan? Or follows a recipe?

Visual schedules can be used for a variety of purposes. They can:

• Provide an overview of the day

• Break down activities into manageable steps

• Make the environment structured and predictable

• Help develop organisational skills

• Promote on-task behaviour (keeping kids on track)

• Enhance a child’s ability to transition from one task to another

• Help develop independence (both in following tasks, and in choosing the tasks/activities to be completed).

First - Then boards are a simple version of visual schedules - first, we complete one task, then we complete the next.

First - Then boards give children an understanding of what's coming next, which can be great for relieving anxiety, and letting children know what's happening and where we are going (first, we hope in the car, then we go daycare).

If you look in most classrooms these days, you will see some form of classroom schedule, and teachers often find it easy to represent activities or times using pictures.

At home and at work I use visual schedules for myself - my calendar and diary, my to-do lists (I love to tick things off my list). I introduced visual schedules for my son in the morning - this makes mornings so much easier! Once he has ticked off his 'jobs', he is free to do whatever he'd like until it's time to go to school. It's amazing how quickly you can brush your teeth and get dressed when you have something more fun waiting for you!

I print and laminate my schedules, and my son can tick them off each day with a whiteboard marker. This helps him to keep track of what he has done, and what is left. At the end of the day, we can rub it off and start again tomorrow.

I use Boardmaker to make visuals for my clients and their families, and well as for my own family, but there are lots of other options available if you'd like to make your own visuals. LessonPix is a much cheaper alternative, and you can also use Google images, online images in Word documents. You can even take your own photos. You can be in charge of your own format, and figure out what works best for you and your child.

If you have any questions about Visual Schedules, or other forms of visuals, please feel free to get in contact with me. I've also included some other useful websites if you're looking for more information about visual schedules:

• TalkLink has some great, detailed information about visual schedules.

• Education Hub has information about visual schedules, as well as visuals, timetables, choice boards that you can print.

• InclusionED - this website has some great information and videos, especially for teachers.