Schedules & Task Boards
With Jack approaching the start of his first year of school, we have been working with him on developing some strategies to help him in the classroom.
During our visit with Jack’s Speech Pathologist this week we worked on some strategies using ‘visuals’ to help Jack think through the steps involved in a task, and at the same time work independently.
I have to say, we have been totally blessed with Jack’s Speech Pathologist - in fact we couldn’t ask for better! She is extremely warm, generous and supportive, and Jack has taken a real fancy to her (he really looks forward to going to therapy sessions). Really, she has been a wonderful support all round - and at a time when we’ve especially needed it.
Anyway, Jack’s Speech Pathologist had put together some task boards for him to work with during the session (and for us to use as a starting point at home), and he took to the idea really well. Although he wanted to negotiate on the order of some of the tasks to be completed, he was happy to work through the process.
The task boards also brought to our attention the fact that we need to look at re-doing Jack’s basic daily schedule here at home. We put a basic schedule together for him some time ago, but have never been back to reassess it’s appropriateness as his needs developed. But we can see from how he worked with the task boards that he is ready for his schedules to be more detailed and involved - and this should help settle him into a better routine as well.
So it’s off to the drawing board (or computer) with Jack’s schedules and task boards this weekend… well, we will tackle it a bit at a time anyway…
January 11th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Ah, yes, I remember it well. Speech Pragmatics, scheduling, etc. There is a book out there called “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon. Reading it may give you insights to the mind of a child with an Autistic Spectrum disorder like Asberger’s. I know your time is valuable. What time there is probably isn’t devoted to reading, but I believe that any insight into Asberger’s can and will be valuable to the parents of one of those very special children.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:15 am
Thanks Lou for the tip on the book - I’ll have to get hold of a copy… and you’re right, any insights are valuable!
January 11th, 2008 at 5:16 am
Impressive work on the schedule.
I bought Beauty a weather, time and date chart from The Early Learning Centre for Christmas and as yet she is only interested in making patterns with the magnetic tiles! In school Beauty uses PECS but it seems as as if she associates PECS only with school and is not happy to use them at home. Thankfully her speech and understanding is improving.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:23 am
We have been using a visual schedule with Samuel for almost 3 years now. I don’t know if you have seen the post on my blog… click on the “Visual Schedule” category and I have a picture and post about it, dated March 13 of last year. I no longer have the in-home help that set this system up for me, but I still use the schedule and the new “personal attendent” that Samuel has uses it with him. It is very helpful for my son to visualize the tasks he has to do, followed by a reinforcing activity.
I like the “finished” icon on your son’s task board! Nice and big and in his favorite color! Do you use Boardmaker?
January 11th, 2008 at 6:06 am
The schedule looks great! I was also wondering if you use Boardmaker.
I started reading “The Curious Incident” a few years ago when it was published and couldn’t get through it. I remember it just grating on my nerves. I’m not sure if it hit too close to home or what …. I was just discussing this with someone yesterday who mentioned it was one of the best books she’d ever read. I guess I should give it another chance now that SB’s diagnosis isn’t as fresh.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Cool schedule. We set a basic daily schedule up to help Heidi through Christmas. Got to start thinking of what to do with her starting Kinder this year.
Our Autism Outreach Worker put me on to this great site with lots of free stuff, including social stories and all in colour (unusual for freebies) - http://www.setbc.org/pictureset/
January 11th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Thanks Marita for the link!
January 11th, 2008 at 8:33 am
We also use visual schedules, with C i find photos of real things better for him.
January 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
We have used photos with Samuel as well. After playing around with Writing With Symbols (the software I use to make the schedule pieces), I have figured out how to download photos and other images to make schedule pieces. It’s great fun for me to make these and it means a lot more to Samuel to see a “Backyardigans” icon on his schedule rather than just “Television.”
E - Is the red “Finished” piece on J’s schedule a pocket to put the other schedule pieces in?
January 11th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
LAA and family - the red finished pocket is where Jack puts the schedule pieces when he is finished with them… he loves that pocket!
In the past we have just used our own pictures, and occasionally photos - I’m not sure of the name of the program that our therapist uses.
Jack really likes the photos too, but I think maybe I should look into a program… any suggestions?
January 11th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I read Mark Haddon’s book and also think it’s a good read. There’s a lot of nonfiction autism books, but there doesn’t seem to be much fiction.
Visual schedules work well with my guy at school, but for various reasons we have trouble using them at home. Same with social stories. I think our trouble is that our son likes to use both on us instead of vice versa. He’s always making signs of what he wants to do. Some wishes are impossible to grant. He thinks up big things. I’m glad the schedule is working for you though.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
I’m reading “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” right now. This is my second try at it and I’m enjoying it.
I’ve used visuals with J for several years now and they help him so much. He’s able to put together his own daily/weekly schedule and he really likes that. He likes having a schedule book for when we go somewhere too. What program do you use? I have Boardmaker here. It’s the same one his school uses.
I like it that our kids have something they can use and that helps.
January 11th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
This is timely for me because I want to come up with a better daily schedule for use at home too. It has been hard for me to find one or make one that Maizie is interested in. I also want to try and include a way for her to understand time in it or at least get used to some of the “passing of time” through the use of it. Please share what you come up with. I would like to see it and maybe get an idea.
January 11th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Marla - passing of time is a big thing for us too, some days Jack is addicted to the clock!!!
I’ll let you know if we find something that works for this!
January 12th, 2008 at 5:42 am
That’s looking really great! I’m glad you have such a good speech pathologist - that sure helps when you have competent folks working with you.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
Don’t read the book…. I lasted the first chapter before I returned it to the library.
I refuse to routine my home. The pec boards in the house are at the toilet, sink and back door - that’s all. They need to learn to adapt to change. There is routine at school. The elder is totally uptight about time and I refuse to feed it.
Now that the youngest can use words… I’ve taken away the PEC’s unless he’s unable to communicate with us b/c he’s ill or frustrated. Meltdowns… I wait him out.
I refuse to use things as a crutch. They use the PIC’s (since they are no longer being used for communication) are being used as a teaching tool. For ex. “which activities take place in winter/summer etc”. This is a tool, for a child with minimal conversation skills….
They do use them as a schedule at school. This helps with the transitions and independance at school.
S.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Those look great! You’ll have to show the new ones you come up with. I haven’t used visuals with Adrian too much at home, every time I have tried either Adrian or Nevaeh end up scattering them through the house and they are never used for the intended purpose. That’s great about your speech path. it is nice to feel like you have ‘the best’ for your child. Good luck with the visuals.
January 13th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
I’m relieved I’m not the only who has trouble with schedule boards ending up scattered around the house. I really, really tried, but that was one of a couple of problems I encountered with visual schedules. I’m glad, though, that others like Elissa have had success using them. I’ve had some success in having my son write a h (for home) or s (for school) on our calendar. It gives him some control and our regular calendar tends to stay on the wall. It’s not a task board, but it’s a start…
January 14th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
We are extremely blessed with our Speech Therapist!!!
And it did take us quite a while to get used to the schedule in the house! Jack wasn’t really interested to start with, but once he got used to the idea things got a lot easier.
Julie L - calendars are really helpful for us too!