One of the first things any educator who works with kids with autism spectrum
disorders learns is the importance of using schedules. Schedules help all of us
organize our time and make sense of our day, we all know how having our calendar
or schedule near by can help us feel less anxious – having a concrete way of
knowing what to expect in a day or even just a chunk of time can help an
individual with an ASD feel more relaxed and willing to participate in the days
activities.

There are as many kinds of schedules as there are kids who benefit from them,
but there are a few basic principles which can help you develop effective
schedules for your students. When I would develop a schedule for a new student,
I asked myself a series of questions to get started.

1. Does the student read with comprehension? If the student is a reader who
understands what he or she reads, I would begin with a written schedule, where
each of the days events are written down with the time and duration. If the
student is still learning to read, I’d begin with a picture schedule instead of
a written one. Picture schedules use images to represent the different daily
events, laid out in chronological order. Picture schedules can be made with
commercial image library software (the most well known is Boardmaker) or with
photographs.

2. How much schedule can the student process at one time? Some students like to
see the entire day laid out from start to finish, others work better seeing it
in smaller pieces. When working with a student who is new to using a schedule or
only able to process smaller groups of information at a time we may only focus
on three events at a time. For example, when a student arrives to school in the
morning, her schedule would show the first three events of the day.(i.e.
Attendance, Say the Pledge, Turn in Homework) When one event is finished, it’s
replaced with the next event on the schedule. I managed schedules like these
with lots of velcro – I’d attach a strip inside a binder, print out events
(either pictures or words) on cardstock with Velcro on the back and teach the
student to rotate events independently.

3. What other skills can I teach with the schedule? Schedules are great teaching
tools, with a nearly infinite number of ways to integrate into other areas of
the curriculum. Along with the personal responsibility and independence managing
a personal schedule can provide, it can easily be used to teach reading and math
skills. Teaching time? Use pictures of clock faces displaying the current time
along side events on the schedule. Teaching reading? Written schedules are full
of practical, real life text, picture schedules can be labeled with simple words
or phrases.

I’ve made schedules in binders, file folders, hanging inside lockers, across the
tops of desks and in wallets that hang from belt loops – finding the right
method for each student can involve some trial and error. I’ve found involving
the student in the process is a huge help, and being part of the creation of the
schedule gives students a sense of ownership. I usually let my students decorate
and personalize their schedules with stickers and crafty items, as well. I
always make at least two copies of everything, so there’s a backup if the
schedule is left at home or if something happens to it. I found most of my
students took great pride in maintaining and keeping track of their own
schedules.

I’d love to hear your creative schedule making solutions, as well as any
questions you might have about using schedules with your students.