Visual schedule

Visual supports are one of the best-evidenced autism strategies: the US National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (2020) rates them an evidence-based practice on more than a hundred studies, effective from early intervention through to young adults. A schedule can be as simple as two pictures — first bath, then iPad — or a strip showing the whole morning.

The three common forms

• First/then board — two pictures: this, then that.
• Routine strip — one routine (the morning, bedtime) as a few cards in order.
• Whole-day schedule — the child’s full day, top to bottom.

Not every autistic child needs one — some children are calmest with a strict visible structure, others take the day as it comes. Our full guide covers when a schedule helps and how to make one: Visual schedules for autistic children.