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The Benefits of Utilizing a Visual Schedule
For some children, transitions throughout the day or throughout a specific activity can be stressful. Visual tools like photos, words, and numbers are often used in visual schedules. This can help individuals understand when and what activities are going to take place visually. These schedules can be based on a timeframe of a month, a week, a day, or even the steps within a specific activity. You can customize your visual schedules to fit the needs of your child. The complexity of a visual schedule can vary based on the child’s needs and ability level. Typically, visual schedules have two columns – one column for ‘to do’ activities and one for completed activities. For younger children the “first… then” format can be helpful, for example “first homework, then play”. Some of the benefits of utilizing a visual schedule include promoting independence. Organizing and following a plan is a crucial skill that children need to learn in order to function in the academic setting and eventually in the real world. Visual schedules help to make expectations clear about what a child is meant to be doing. Another benefit of visual schedules is that it can be used to teach new skills. This is done by breaking the activity down into small steps, arranged in sequential order. The child can then see at a glance, which step to take and what comes next. The good thing about having a visual schedule is that the child can now work on the skill step by step. The child can follow the schedule, and as each step is completed, they simply need to check what comes next. It not only serves as a reminder but also helps them measure their progress. As the child makes progress towards their new skill, the number of steps can then be reduced. When the skill is finally mastered, the visual schedule can be faded altogether. Because visual schedules usually utilize a combination of words and pictures, it helps children to learn the words that go with the images. Not only do children learn to associate the picture to the written word, they also get to learn the meaning in context. This gives them a better idea of the word than with just a picture alone.
https://www.naturalbeachliving.com/benefits-of-visual-schedules/
– Jessica D.
