Visual Time tables, the next level !

[Ineedmorepatience]

I saw the Asd specialist SALT the other day and we had a brief chat, she suggested that as Dd3 is still using a visual time table and as she is in yr 6 we make it more complex and more like a secondary type time table.

At the moment we use instruction strips on velcro on a felt board. The instructions are things like brush your teeth, have a drink, pack your lunch money etc.

Dd3 is able to get ready for school independently using the time table but I can see that we maybe need to move her forward now but I have no idea where to start.

Anyone got any ideas?

It depends on whether your dd needs pictures or not and whether she can read well. My ds year 5, likes lists with no pictures.

His planner in school, is like a secondary timetable.

Day of the week down the side, then time above, then underneath the lesson or activity. Bit like a grid.

Yes that was what she described and yes she does read well but how would I include all the information she needs.

I suppose if I do days of the week down the said and then the getting ready steps going across I think it might be too small on A4 though and I dont have an A3 laminator

The SALT suggested that she ticks off the steps with a whiteboard pen instead on taking the strips off.

Hmm, going to have to experiment I think

Thanks claw2

Can you do it like this?

Get Ready a For School
teeth / hair / money / bag

So she starts grouping things mentally?

If you have to detail every step and there are many. You could always do a separate sheet for each day, rather than squeezing 5 days onto one sheet?

Or seen as your dd is now getting ready independent, try making it less detailed?

Great suggestions, thankyou.

You are right claw she is supposed to be getting more independent but when she is stressed it goes out of the window and then I end up having to race home to get the forgotten things so she doesnt go into meltdown.

Handy that is a good idea I could see that working I could split the morning up into sections.

A list of what your dd needs to do sounds very 'secondary school' anyhow.

With ds I did sequencing charts to start with (with pictures) ie put on pants, then socks, then trousers etc.

Once he could do that (and he could read), we did a list without pictures ie
pants
socks
trousers
etc

Once he could do that I removed the list and only got the list out if he was getting flustered or stressed.

Or

Maybe you could just provide a 'check list' ie your dd gets all the stuff she needs without a list, then give her the check list to make sure she has remembered?

Not sure how suitable any of this is, just some ideas.

Would also add I think it varies greatly to what visual you use as to what you are hoping to achieve.

With ds and dressing, I was hoping as he got older and as an adult, he would be able to dress without a list.

However, for remembering things i need to do, I still write myself lists now to help me to remember! Lots of adults do this!

Maybe another option, your dd could write herself a list of what she needs to remember? I think that is very 'adult' like and something adults find useful and will serve your dd well, regardless of age.

How about having a main table which only has a category (ie. get dressed) and then sheets which break down the task that she can refer to?

So I'm thinking 'Get dressed' would have a sheet which said 'pants, trousers, top, ....

Yes I want her to be involved so lists would be good.

She loves to write shopping lists and has had kit lists for when she went away with Cubs and school.

We needed something to do over the weekend

I cant see a time that she will be able to manage without some kind of prompt, she is only able to retain one instruction at a time at the moment and the reason we introduced the time line in the first place was because we were both sick to death of hearing my voice in the morning.

The time line/table empowers her and enables her to be independent, I see it as a long term thing.

Thanks for the great ideas

I made laminated lists for ds3 it had things like breakfast bathroom get dressed PE kit phone train pass, planner. You may find it useful to have an evening one that had things such as homework and packing the school bag. ds2 relies heavily on his which has pencil case phone homework diary PE kit file phone. I make them for all sorts of things they need to remember - laminating them (usually on coloured paper) makes them last longer.

Hmm, that has made me think of the colour coding system we had for Dd1 when she went to secondary! Maybe if I think ahead we could build that in some how.

That would mean Dd3 would be in training for secondary, one less new thing to cope with.

Ooo am quite excited now sado