•“Visual supports organize a sequence of events, enhancing your child’s ability to understand, anticipate and participate in those events.
One of the things that I often see get left out of the instruction process of individual schedule is a way to help the student connect the visual to the place he or she is going. It is important to remember that schedules are not always intuitive to the student; just giving him a schedule does not assure he knows how to use it. They have to be taught. For many students using schedules, one of the areas they haven't learned is what the visuals mean about where to go or what to do. A picture without meaning is fairly useless. I have seen many instances where a student has a schedule and she goes through the motions of checking it by taking off the visual as a task is completed. However, when given a new routine, they do not know what to do or where to go when they checks their schedule. This is a good sign that the visuals are not concrete or meaningful. Just moving the visual to a finished envelope at the bottom of the schedule is not meaningful for many students.
Enter check-in stations.
What is a check-in station? Check-in stations are a board, envelope or folder where the student takes the visual, matches it to an identical visual and "checks in" to the activity. Thus the student carries a transition visual to the correct area and matches it to check in. This helps students to understand what to look for when their schedule gives them information. It also means that teachers are more consistent in where activities take place, which is great for classroom management.
In some classes, we even put the Velcro on the picture itself to help students understand and match on top of the identical picture. We will do anything to make it more concrete. You can use a sign with Velcro so you can change out the activity during the day. Then at the end of the day, the teachers can just gather the visuals out of the baskets around the room to reset the schedule.
Enter check-in stations.
What is a check-in station? Check-in stations are a board, envelope or folder where the student takes the visual, matches it to an identical visual and "checks in" to the activity. Thus the student carries a transition visual to the correct area and matches it to check in. This helps students to understand what to look for when their schedule gives them information. It also means that teachers are more consistent in where activities take place, which is great for classroom management.
In some classes, we even put the Velcro on the picture itself to help students understand and match on top of the identical picture. We will do anything to make it more concrete. You can use a sign with Velcro so you can change out the activity during the day. Then at the end of the day, the teachers can just gather the visuals out of the baskets around the room to reset the schedule.
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First/Then boards help clarify for a student the action that must come before the next. This is best taught with first a non preferred activity and a preferred activity or reward. Start with small amounts of non preferred activity paired with a timer and increase as non preferred activity is tolerated. Letting the child choose the preferred activity for shorter time periods several times a day.
Mini schedule task analyze the smallest step of an activity. Getting dressed, may appear to be a simple direction but it is complicated by several smaller steps that need to be broken down (or task analysis) for the student.
Getting ready to go somewhere is also something that needs to have a task anaylisis done. What do I need for school everyday. What do I need to take to art class or gym. What do I need to take home and the end of the day. How
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1/2 day Schedules are used for students who have progresses past a first then then schedule but can not handle looking at a full day.
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Full day schedules top to bottom
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Full day schedules left to right