How do you make a visual timetable?

[allaboutme]

I have heard of these and think it would be ideal for my DS who is 4.
He isnt very clear on the concept of time/things happening in the future, but is fine with 'we will do x after lunch and then Y after X' type explanations.
But how do you start with a visual timetable for say a typical week?
We do a fair few routine things every week which could go on there - do you use photos? or simple drawings/pictures printed off the internet?
What about the gaps - shall I keep a stock of cards for general 'playing with toys' 'watching tv' 'visiting grandma' that I can add at the beginning of the day for non routine things that we will do that day?

I'm also looking for a timer that I can use to help DS know when his TV time is up.
I am thinking of something like an egg timer so its clear to him how much time has passed and how much left to go (he cant read a clock) but it would have to beep when it ran out or he wouldnt notice (too engrossed in tv!)
Has anyone seen anything that would fit the bill please??

Thanks!

The timer you need is from www.timetimer.com and it's worth every penny of the money. They sell them at taskmaster (www.taskmaster.org) also.

Everyone does visual timetables their own way. Some find photos work, others find pictograms better because photos can be too specific to a particular context. I used to grab a pencil and paper and scribble off a basic drawing that he could hold. my days aren't quite structured enough to have a more formal system.

I couldn't help noticing that you gave the example "we will do x after lunch". Forgive me if you already do this in practice (as opposed to when writing to other adults) but it's really important to say the first thing first as it were. So you need to say "First we'll have lunch, then we'll do X" (so he hears the word lunch before he hears the word "X"). Even typically developing 3-4 year olds apparently can't "reverse the order" in the way you have to when using the "we'll do X after Y" formation.

We have a magnetic write on wipe off board for DS ~ but he is 14 years old and so can read

His SENCO told us to do it and it really works

It helps him remember things that are happening during school ~ like swimming in PE and trumpet lessons etc

Also things happening outside the school time like clubs or appointments like Dr etc

He ticks them off at end of each day

I think with a younger child photos or pictures would be great

I got mine on ebay,might be worth keeping an eye.

All ours is is laminated acrd with teh days on divided into morning / afternoon/evening, then we use (again laminate) pictures not unlike the PECs symbole whicha re attached by velcro to the board. We do have ones for breaks yes, TV time etc.

What we are now in the process of making (ie I bought everything in November so waiting for Dh to cut me the Ply....) is a 'Super Board'. It will ahve a wipe off board for ds1 to check, pockets for notes etc, and a visual timetable attached (we need it for all three of the odler ones- ASD X2, and probable dyspraxia).

It will be 1mX 1.5 M, brightly culoured and live just by the front door so cannot be missed.

I make my own, i draw my own pictures as it took too long looking for the ones i wanted on the web. I keep my pictures simple (black and white line drawings).

I made dd2 a bed time one last night and it worked a treat (fingers crossed it will work tonight) and i am going to make her a toileting one tonight.

I laminate the cards and stick them on to a laminated strip using velcro so she can easily tear them off when completed.

Got mine on ebay, well it isn't really a full timetable as i couldn't plan too much in advance and stick to it, i'm too disorganised for that
Mine is a NOW, NEXT, LATER board (simple with only 3 activities planned at a time) with lots of pecs in colour. When each activity is ended we pop it back in the box and move onto next one.
DS is 4, mild asd , and it helps when i let him choose what activity he wants to do when tv time ends for instance as he has huge tantrum over that!

It depends what will work, and how much time your child can take in at a time. When ds was smaller I used a little christmas card style peg line with pictures (we used photos as ds at that time did not comprehend pictograms) of the activities for the day ( breakfast on the left, preschool, lunch). We took the pictures off the line as each task was started to help him understand the passing of time. I also had tunes ('its off to preschool we go', 'night night ds'!) to accompany transitions as ds was pre-lingual. Now (ds is 10) we use a proper all week chart from ebay with pictograms (ds cannot read)held in place by velcro. We also have a counting down chart (like an advent calender but crossing off sleeps) for helping ds understand waiting for special occasions like birthdays.

For a 4yo, I would do day by day rather than a full week at a time, at least to start with.

I do these with the children in my class and TBH lots of them really benefit from it.

I use Rhebus symbols, but you could use any clear clipart image or photograph.

Keep the text clear and short.

I use the sticky velcro. Put the right side on a long strip going across or down depending on how you want it to look.

Then have little sqaure cards printed with the image and text for each activity. Put a bit of the smooth velco on the reverse.

Then have all the cards in a bag or envelope close at hand.

At start of day sit with him to organise the day. Choose which cards to include and in which order they happen. Inlcude lunch tme, bedtime, etc.

You can by little stop watches that make a noise when the time is up.

Thank you, this is giving me lots of ideas!
I didnt think of buying one, was thinking how I could make one, but a pre made one would be much easier if I could find one!
Have had a search on ebay but cant find anything like you describe at the moment. Will have to keep looking!
A laminated week with velcro stick on laminated activities would be ideal.
The things we are struggling with are - TV... I have set a 'only after pre school' rule to stop him getting up so early to watch the TV. He keeps asking all day when it will be though, so need something to show him when 'after school' is.
I think a day with a picture for breakfast, getting dressed, morning activity (we go out most mornings but its the same place every Monday etc), lunch, pre-school, Tv, play time, dinner, bath, bed
would be ok for him to understand and I think he would be able to look at it and see which ones he had already done and then work out which was coming next.
He is 4 and cant read so would have to all be pictures rather than words.
We also have trouble with me saying 'we are going to see X on Thursday, 2 days time' and him not understanding when it will be at all.
A countdown thing might work for that (not sure if he would get it yet or not, but worth a try!)
linglette - I honestly dont know which way round I say it to DS. i havent really thought about it so I must just say it whichever way it comes out, which is probably confusing him! I will make sure I say the first thing first from now on - thank you!

Off to look at timers now, thanks again!!

Even though he can't read I would use words alongside the pictures. I do this with my Y1 children, some of whom can't read at all. But was told by the speech and language support teacher that it is important to include both written and verbal together.

I don't think it can hurt anyway.

If you need a week thing as well:

Do a daily one with all the specifics one.

Then have the days of the week listed in order.. Have a moveable star or arrow for the current day. Then have cards for any special events happening, such as a visit to grandaprents or a swimming trip. Then place jut that on the day it will happen. He can then count along the days.

x posts, yes you are most likely right, a day at a time would be easier for him to take in.
I dont know if I would dare let him organise his day!! he hates changing activities and has preferred things, so would prob put no bath time, no dinner and no going to bed and then put TV and play cars all day
I was hoping it would be more of a way to encourage him to move onto the next activity as he will be able to see he is moving closer to something he wants to do. IE its lunch time next, so if we go and do that now it will be playing time afterwards.... rather than at the moment just having a battle with him to stop doing what he is doing to come and have lunch.
will look up rhebus symbols too - thanks!

With the children I work with I put itn all the essential activities, but leave the children a couple of free choice ones - but we chose them at the start of the day and put them on.

We remove the cards as they have occured, so they know where they are up to.

"We also have trouble with me saying 'we are going to see X on Thursday, 2 days time' and him not understanding "

Ooh, this is like an exam I know I can pass!
You need a calendar for this, just an ordinary calendar with reasonably big spaces and as little fussy detail as possible (and I think ones where the all the days are vertical are good because you don't have to read left to right~). You just cross off the days one at a time for a couple of months at the same time each day. Moondog says you must never ever miss a day - I often did which is probably why it took a long time to work. Then you can start marking important events on it and (depending on his numeracy skills) do countdowns/show it getting closer. Do an advanced search on "calendar" within the SN board for more discussions.

Hello - I have just ordered a Now, Next, Later board from e-bay - can't do links but if you type in that in search bar it should come up. It comes with a few symbols to get you started with school, bath, bed, shopping etc - am looking forward to getting it!

oh this is all fab, thank you!
we went to a sn toddler group today for the first time and they had a visual plan of what would happen - it was free play, soft play, tidy up, snack, singing, home.
For the first time ever DS stopped playing and joined in with the song time! so am very keen on setting one up now as it really interested him.
i wonder if the other groups we go to would mind me taking along portable one there so he can be encouraged to change activity at the right time and perhaps join in with singing again?

aalaboutme - I have made portable ones for some of the children I work with.

theya re simple sqaures of card, laminated, with their names on. They are then threaded with some wool so they can be worn round their neck. Could also have a clip on to clip to clothes.

Mone then have squares of sticky rough-side velco on, and we have an envelope of little cards of activities.

The children then have their activtiies put on at the start of the session, and they can remove them and out them in the envelope as they go through the morning session.

Could you adapt something like that?