Activity Schedules for Children With Autism: Teaching Independent Behavior

by Lynn E. McClannahan, Patricia J. Krantz

Activity schedules-simple, yet revolutionary teaching tools-enable children with autism to accomplish activities with greatly reduced adult supervision. An activity schedule is a set of pictures or words that cues a child to follow a sequence of activities. When activity schedules are mastered, children are more self-directed and purposeful in their home, school, and leisure activities-doing puzzles, interacting with classmates, and preparing food with minimal assistance from adults. In Activity Schedules for Children with Autism, parents and professionals find detailed instructions and examples to help assess a child's readiness to use activity schedules; prepare an activity schedule; understand graduated guidance; monitor progress; expand social skills; and progress to written schedules. Based on a decade of research conducted at the Princeton Child Development Institute, Activity Schedules for Children with Autism offers a proven teaching tool to help children with autism make effective use of unstructured time, handle changes in routine with more ease, and choose among an established set of activities independently. It can be used successfully with young children, adolescents, and adults, rewarding them with more control over their lives.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Nonfiction, Parenting, School, Education

117 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well grounded in research and well presented
This is a good resource both for families and for schools.
The organization flows well, and text is an easy read which is readily absorbed as well.
The examples are helpful
The cues and guidance suggestions are appropriate.
Adult schedules are also included, completing the continuum
Recommend reading this
Four because I’d like to see more technology integration which wasn’t there but certainly a part of lives today

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step by step clear instructions on how to create/teach an activity schedule. Language desirable to all audience.

[Tam G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good method for setting up step-by-step instructions for children with autism (or children with cognitive disorders because it focuses on adapting skills for nonverbal/nonreading/dependent children). It focuses on independence and practical skills. Probably many people have children too advanced for this book, but I like that it helps parents/teachers of kids who get overwhelmed with new skills how to break it down, learn it, make it independent, summarize it, and make it a part of a larger skill base.

While I'm not sure I'll use the format, I found it very interesting for working on skills with my own (verbal, limited reading) son.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book with clear instructions for how to help your child or student become more independent through the use of a schedule. The book was written in a tone that addressed parents, but as a special educator, I found it very helpful. I have been doing something like this with my student, but this book really pointed out how to do it so she gets it. I just have to tweak one thing in my delivery of her schedule, and I can see her being as independent as the students mentioned in the book.

This book is from the topics in autism series, but that really is a misnomer. The techniques in this series would be effective with a broad range of students with learning impairments or developmental delays.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding resource for therapists, educators, and parents of children with autism. It provides detailed explanations of how to teach the use of activity schedules to foster learning and independence. Every section provides examples of how to use activity schedules to teach skills at home, school, in the community, and later at work, for children of all ages and into adulthood. A child can use photos to follow a play schedule; a teenager can follow written to-do lists; an adult can follow a recipe and create her own calendar, and all through independently using activity schedules. This is truly one of the best books in the field.

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful suggestions for helping children with autism become more independent as well as giving them some structure so they can make sense of their world. Since those with autism are often thrown off by any schedule change, having an activity schedule of the upcoming day or week will help them to see what is in store. If there are changes, its simple to add into the binder and allow them to see that something unusual is coming up in the day. Its also great that you can adjust this resource to each child's needs.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had read this book when my daughters were smaller and not talking very much. It would have been a great help in teaching them to play and work independently. At nearly twelve years old, this is something that we're still working on. Highly recommended as a book to use over and over when a child is first diagnosed....

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really fair for me to rate this one, since it didn't really pertain to my special needs child. The activity schedules can be incorporated to some extent, but the entire book is geared towards children with Autism (which my child does not have), so much of the information was N/A for us.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

how to enable a child with autism to become more independent and learn new tasks by using a pictorial schedule.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great resource if you're setting up a classroom or a home learning/living setting for an autistic child.

A guide to the PECS program would also help.

[Kate]

very good information with examples, but not the information i was currently seeking