April-Using Visual Supports At Home

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April-Using Visual Supports At Home
April is Autism awareness month so what better topic to discuss than using visual supports! Visual supports, such as, visual schedules are beneficial for children of all ages and abilities but are most commonly used with students on the  Autism spectrum. Using a visual schedule allows young children, especially those with limited verbal language to understand the daily expectations and routines.
A visual schedule is made up of pictures in a child’s daily life. Using real pictures of the real people, places, and things in a child’s daily routine help them to organize and process expectations. Some children benefit from using a picture schedule to represent their entire day while others may benefit from smaller visual schedules used for specific times of their daily routine, such as, meal times. The great thing about picture schedules is you can make them as simple or as elaborate as you like. As long as it is benefiting the child.
Involving the child in their picture schedule helps them make sense of what is happening next in their life. For example, you will want to have all the pictures in sequential order on a ring, clipboard, refrigerator, binder, etc. Then you will use the pictures as you talk to your child about what is happening next. Show them the picture of the table with food on it and say “time to stop playing and go to the table for breakfast”. In some cases the child may like to hold the picture. As you move through the daily routine, refer to the pictures. “Ok, now we are done with breakfast, lets go to the car for school.” Showing them a picture of the car or their school. Share picture schedules with the people around your child for consistency.

For more information on how to use visual supports at home visit the website below!


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