Visual schedule

Why should I do it:

Provides students with organization and structure
Increases on task behavior
Improves productivity
Increases students’ independence and responsibility
Teaches students to use time more efficiently
Helps visual learners
 

When should I do it:

With students who have ADD/ADHD
With students on the autism spectrum
With students who are disorganized
With students that have trouble managing time and assignment completion
When students are wandering, off task, or lagging behind the rest of the class
When students exhibit poor executive and decision making skills
When students have trouble with unstructured time
When students have difficulty with transitions
 

How do I do it:

Visual schedules can vary a great deal and may be more or less complex
Use pictures, images, and graphics to represent periods of the day, subjects, tasks, transitions, etc.
Order these visual elements on a paper, board, etc,
You may write descriptions below or beside each image
The schedule may be placed in a central location for the entire class, or for individual schedules, on the student’s desk
Some schedules may have movable images and graphic or visual elements that can be moved from a “to do” side to a “done” side
Other schedules may be more static without moving visual elements, but instead be laminated so a dry erase marker can be used on them to check each task or period off, or a page that is copied with a new schedule to write on each day
The examples below will provide additional explanation and examples