Visual Check Lists: For Aspergers and Kids with Learning Disabilities

Hi Friends,
I have talked about the importance of chore lists and have posted my check off (Setting the Foundations: Chore Lists, Rewards and Discipline Sheets,) chores and house rules for you all to use to help keep kids on track. Especially important for kids with trust disorders and impulse control issues, knowing what to expect, and what is expected of them, is important, and having a check off list is a visual cue that can reduce anxiety.
Today I came across this article about using a schedule sheet with visual images to help kid with Aspergers ( a high functioning form of autism) reduce anxiety and move through their daily routine. Check it out.

Visual Schedules for Aspergers Kids

"My 4-year-old Aspie son has trouble moving from task to task. How can I help him finish a particular activity (like putting his legos back in the boxes), and then get him to move on to the next thing (like getting ready for bed) without creating anxiety and the resultant meltdowns?"

Children with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism thrive on routine and structure. As your son begins to recognize structure in his life, this may be the time to make a visual schedule to help him recognize when certain events are happening in his day. A visual schedule works better than a written schedule for obvious reasons, as your child may not be able to read and thus may not get the benefit of the visual cue.

To make such a visual schedule, you can use a white board on which you put the hours of the day and a space at the top for the day of the week. Purchase strips of Velcro that have a sticky back and place a small square of Velcro in each time slot. Using thick card, draw the different aspects of the day in visual form (e.g.,  draw pictures of food for the times of the day that you eat; draw a picture of a bed for the times your child sleeps).



(Read the rest at http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2008/05/schedules.html)