Tips for developing routines and daily schedules
at home
Providing routines for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can assist them in
managing anxiety and distress over daily life activities.
Following a structured routine for high stress or busy periods of the day - such as the morning
routine before school or the dinner, bath and bed routine in the evening and busy and chaotic
periods of the day - will allow your child to know what tasks you expect them to complete.
Providing predictability in daily tasks allows children to know what is coming next, what is
expected of them within a task, and increases opportunities for children to engage in activities
with greater independence. It is important to educate and prepare children for changes that will
occur to routines to help them with being flexible. The following strategies can support children
to learn routines within the day and support them when routines change.
Daily schedules, work systems, and ‘now and then’ cards all use and rely upon the use of visual
representation to communicate what is happening now and what will happen afterwards.
In daily life, we use a range of symbolic representations to communicate meaning to the public
e.g. male and female symbols on toilet doors, traffic lights and exit signs. We also use a range
of visual representations to assist with organising daily tasks, such as writing lists, using
calendars and timetables.
For many children with ASD the use of a more concrete visual representation, such as a
photograph or picture, reinforces the spoken word and allows for greater understanding. The
use of visuals to communicate routines and demands within tasks are helpful for all young
children and you may find educators in many early childhood settings using visuals to assist all
children.
Daily schedules, work systems, and ‘now and then’ cards can be used by all members of the
family.
Before using any schedule, it is important to consider:

your child’s visual reception skills - are they able to recognise familiar objects, photos
of items, pictures, symbols, or letters (if you are unsure, talk to your child’s early
childhood educator, therapist)

your child’s ability to match items

your child’s reinforcing and motivating objects and activities and
how these can be incorporated into teaching or used to reward the
following of directions

your child’s preferred and non-preferred routine activities (when
teaching the use of visuals in routines, it is always helpful to
introduce the visuals in engaging and preferred activities)

will this be a strategy to be used at school (if yes, remember to add
this as an area of discussion to the transition timeline)

will you make the resources for these strategies at home or would
you prefer to purchase commercially made products.
It is important to teach children to work within your family routine rather than
creating a routine around your child.
Daily schedules
Daily schedules and routines provide predictability and security for children
with ASD. When children know what tasks and activities they are working on,
they are more likely to follow timetables, know what is expected, and predict
the next job or activity.
Schedules help children understand what activities are occurring in the day
and when they will happen. Being able to predict the major events of the day
can reduce stress and frustration.
Children who are prepared for the day and know what is expected of them
are often calmer, more engaged, and exhibit fewer challenging behaviours.
Daily schedules do not need to detail every minute event. A daily schedule
should list the most important activities and locations of the day e.g.
breakfast, get dressed, brush teeth, school, snack, homework, bath, dinner,
quiet reading, or bed.
Vertical schedules are an effective way to present the daily schedule. Further
information regarding vertical schedules is available in Tips to introducing a
vertical schedule.
For older children, or children who are familiar with vertical schedules, a
weekly timetable can be introduced to help plot the key events of the week.
For example, if your child is always asking if they are going to swimming
lessons today, you can create a weekly timetable that details the afternoon
activities for each day and allows the child to independently monitor when
swimming lessons will occur.
Ensure you mark ‘today’ with an obvious and moveable image (such as a
preferred image or a star held with an adhesive) so the child can quickly see
what will happen today and start to consider when other activities will happen
in their week.
When routines change, vertical schedules can communicate the changes. For example, if it is
raining and a routine trip to the park needs to be cancelled, parents can place a cross over the
picture of park and place the picture of the alternate activity of indoor games next to the picture.
Tips to coping with changes to routine
Routines and activities of daily living may change from time to time for a range of reasons and
we need to be able to adapt to the changes around us. When things change, children respond
best when they are prepared and know what is happening instead. Wherever possible replace
the changed activity with something the child finds equally enjoyable or work to schedule a
small amount of time to engage in the preferred activity later in the day.
Other tips include:

preparing your child in advance as much as is possible (e.g. change the schedule
first thing in the morning so they are aware of the change)

providing a reason if possible/necessary (e.g. it is wet outside we need to stay
inside)

providing an alternative activity (e.g. this afternoon instead of going to the park we
will bake a cake)

reminding your child when the activity will occur again (e.g. we will go to the park on
Friday if it is a sunny day)

remembering to highlight for your child what the change will be, as well as what will
stay the same.
Further information
Further information regarding developing work systems, ‘now and then’ cards and introducing a
vertical schedule are available in:

Tips for developing work systems at home

Tips for developing ‘Now and Then’ cards

Tips for introducing a vertical schedule.
Further information regarding the use of visuals are available in the educators section at:

Tips for developing supportive routines and schedules

Tips for visual cueing systems.