What is next? What do you want me to do? When can I do what I want to do? Children and teens with special needs NEED schedules. . . even in the sweet days of summer. Here are some schedules that work. . . Personalize them with your own times and pictures. Change the activities to fit your family. What time is it now? Time for a stress-free summer to begin!
A Sample Schedule for Little Ones with Special Needs
- Wake up
- Breakfast
- Brush teeth, make bed, get dressed
- Errands / Outing
- Outside Fun
- Pick up outside Toys
- TV / DVD time
- Wash Hands
- Eat lunch
- Books or Quiet Music
- Quiet time / nap time
- Inside Fun (Try to avoid TV / DVD)
- Pick up inside toys
- Wash Hands, eat supper
- Outside time
- Pick up outside toys
- Snack, brush teeth, read me a book
- Time for bed
A Sample Schedule for a Tween with Special Needs
- Wake up
- Breakfast
- Self care / make bed
- Morning jobs
- Morning free time
- Lunch
- Afternoon jobs
- Afternoon free time or outing
- Supper
- After supper jobs
- After supper free time
- Snack
- Read or quiet music
- Bed
Don't forget the calendar!
Calendars are great for showing special activities that will be different from the norm. Use stickers to show birthdays, trips, visitors' coming, etc.
Note: Many autistic children use a very specific type of picture schedule. Such a schedule follows a specific progression. If your child uses a picture schedule in an autistic classroom, you will want to develop a home schedule that is similar. For more information you may want to borrow or purchase the following books:
- Activity Schedules for Children With Autism: Teaching Independent Behavior, McClannahan and Krantz, ISBN: 093314993X
- A Picture's Worth: PECS and Other Visual Communication Strategies in Autism, Bondy and Frost, ISBN: 0933149964
- The TEACCH Approach to Autism Spectrum Disorders, Mesibov, Shea, and Schopler, ISBN: 0306486466
How can great summer schedule for a special needs build language skills?
My next article is
Building Language Skills with Schedules for Special Needs Kids.
Note: All children in this article are fictitious and represent general characteristics of the disability.
© 2006 Lynn Moore No portion of this article may be copied or distributed without the written consent of the author.
