Visual Support: Classroom Routines

-- by Sarah, Gaby's mom

God bless Math classes where the classroom routine was usually delightfully predictable. Bellwork, grade homework, lecture/notes, practice - done. Yay! Unfortunately for the kid with autism, not all classes are like that.

In grade school, Gaby used a structured work system based on the TEACCH model while she was in class to keep her on track. She had a small chart that indicated what work she had to do for the day.

We taught her to take the first icon off the chart (folder 1), match it to the color coordinated folder in her desk, complete the work inside and then move on to the next task until she finished all her work and could do her "Choice". Her Choice folder contained activities that Gaby loved and were still well suited to desk work such as dot to dots, word searches and color by numbers. This system worked really well for Gaby - it allowed her to function fairly independently and was flexible enough to meet the changing needs of daily lessons.

Lunch and PE/Recess were often chaotic and stressful for Gaby. Having a visual support that described the lunch routine was critical for Gaby - especially in grade school. How to line up, which table to sit at, what to do with your trash, when you were allowed to get up, etc. were all things that needed to be put in a visual list for her to help her stay on task.

Recess was also very tricky. Gaby had pre-selected recess "buddies" each day and she had a chart of their pictures/names or she never would have learned who they were. I supervised recess time and provided special activities as an incentive. Although recess was fun, it was also very stressful for Gaby. Looking back, it might have been better to have a check list of pre-selected playground activities for the kids to follow. It would have been more predictable, would have allowed the kids to be less reliant on my assistance, and would have been kind of a natural reinforcer for Gaby. She's a finisher and she loves checking things off a list ☺.

PE was another class where priming Gaby in advance for the classroom activities of the day was important. PE seems like a free for all but of course it's not all the time. There are usually routines for attendance, instruction, etc. that needed to be highlighted. Also, the activities are always changing, and some are more preferred than others, so if Gaby knew in advance what she was going to be doing, she was usually more likely to accept the activity. Plus, Gaby is always anxious when she doesn't know what to expect or is confused about what she's supposed to do. A visual list of the day's activities/assignments helps keep her on track, calm and feeling successful which generally results in better behavior and performance (no surprise there).