Visual schedules that actually get used

Visual schedules are powerful — when they're built with the person, not for them.

Why some flop

• Too many steps. (Twelve cards for "morning"? No thanks.)
• Generic stock images that don't look like the actual person's life.
• Stuck up out of sight or eye-line.
• Not updated when life changes.

A schedule that sticks

• Three to six steps per chunk of day. Mornings, school, after school, evening.
• Real photos of the participant's own bowl, bag, shoes, classroom.
• Hung at eye-line for the person using it.
• Velcro or magnets so steps can move when life moves.

Build it together

Sit on the floor and let the participant choose which steps go in. Their fingerprints on the schedule are what make it theirs.

When to retire it

A schedule should be a scaffolding, not a forever. When the person is fluent through the routine, you can pack it away — and reach for it again whenever something new starts (term change, holidays, illness).