How can you help someone understand what is going to happen, work through the steps of a task and cope with waiting? By showing them what you say: a ‘first / then’, a visual schedule, an illustrated sequence, a visual timer. These supports are AAC ‘for understanding’, useful at any age, and not only in autism.
Why do visual supports help?
A spoken instruction disappears as soon as it is said; a picture stays in view. Visual supports turn abstract information (time, the order of steps, duration) into concrete landmarks that the person can look at as often as they need. Knowing what is coming reduces the stress of uncertainty, helps with transitions and leaves more energy for learning.
Visual schedules have been shown to work at every age (Bopp et al., 2004; Knight et al., 2015, cited in Beukelman and Light, 2020). They are at the heart of the TEACCH programme, which can be taught to parents and carers: ask your local autism or health services about training.
Which support for which need?
| Support | What it is for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ‘First / then’ | Announce the next activity, make a request acceptable | First shoes, then the park |
| Daily schedule | Find your way through the day, know what is coming | Get up, get dressed, breakfast, teeth, bag, school |
| Weekly planner | See the days and events of the week | Swimming on Wednesday, Grandma on Saturday |
| Sequence | Do a task step by step | Wash your hands, pack your PE bag |
| Visual timer | See how much time is left | 10 more minutes of play |
| AAC board | Express yourself: ask, refuse, comment | See Making a communication board |
Start with ‘first / then’
It is the smallest possible schedule: two pictures side by side, also known as a ‘now and next’ board. On the left, the activity you are asking for; on the right, the one that follows, preferably one the person enjoys. A simple ‘first / then’ often reduces anxiety at transitions. Once it is well understood, move on to three or four steps, then half a day, then the whole day.
FirstShoes
ThenThe park
Building a visual schedule
- Adjust how much time is shown: from a ‘first / then’ to a whole week, depending on the person.
- Mark what is finished: move the completed activity to an ‘all done’ area, keeping it within reach so the person can ask for it again.
- Give a warning before each transition and flag any changes clearly.
- Offer choices within the routine: which step first, who helps. This reduces resistance.
- Build in enjoyable moments: a sensory activity or quiet time after a demanding task, at a set time each day, makes the day more motivating.
- Choose the right picture: a symbol (ARASAAC, Sclera, Mulberry), a photo of the real place or object, or a short video when a symbol isn’t enough to show what will happen. Use the same symbols as on their communication tool.
Paper or digital?
A Velcro weekly planner often has a colour code for each day and each part of the day (morning, lunchtime, afternoon, evening), sometimes with ‘yesterday, today, tomorrow’ and feelings. The two formats complement each other:
| Paper (Velcro, magnets) | Digital (app) | |
|---|---|---|
| Strengths | You move the pictures by hand, and handling them helps young children | Can be changed in seconds, wherever you are; reminders, speech output |
| Limits | Bulky to carry; a printer and a laminator for every new event; no reminders | Needs a charged device to hand |
| Best for | Use at home or in class, young children who like handling things | Frequent outings, no printer, last-minute changes |
In Pictalk Buddy, the visual schedule (day and week views, alarms, reminders on the watch) prints as a weekly planner with its symbols: you can include the titles or not depending on reading level, or print only the events that break the routine. You will also find templates on the resources page.
Breaking a task into a sequence
A visual sequence breaks an activity down into clear, illustrated steps. It guides the person step by step, reduces what they have to remember and lets them succeed without an adult repeating every instruction. It can cover:
- routines: brushing teeth, getting dressed, putting things away;
- everyday independence: making a sandwich, packing a PE bag, crossing the road;
- social situations: saying hello, waiting your turn, asking for help;
- what is expected in a particular place: at the supermarket, at the doctor’s, in the toilet.
Example for ‘saying hello’: (1) I see someone, (2) I turn towards them, (3) I smile, (4) I say ‘hello’ or show the symbol, (5) I wave. The sequence makes explicit the social rules that usually go unspoken.
In Buddy, guided sequences pair each step with a symbol, an audio message or a short video, and the app can suggest steps from a simple title, which you then adjust.
Showing time passing: the visual timer
‘Five more minutes’ means nothing to someone who can’t keep track of time. A visual timer, such as the Time Timer, shows a coloured area that shrinks until the end of the activity. There are models for 5 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour. It makes the start and the end visible, and helps with the frustration of waiting and of transitions. Buddy’s built-in timer vibrates and rings when the time is up.
Preparing for changes
Routine brings security and predictability, but if it is too rigid it becomes counterproductive. Stay flexible and prepare the person for unusual situations: warn them in advance, explain the change and show it, with a symbol or a photo of what is coming. A digital schedule can be changed on the spot, the moment the change happens. When a behaviour that challenges keeps coming back at the same times, see Behaviours that challenge.
Linking understanding and expression
A schedule is not just an organisational tool: every picture is a word that the person sees and hears several times a day. Name the activities while touching their symbol, on the schedule as on their communication tool (see Model, wait, respond). In the evening, a notebook (life book) with photos of the day lets them tell what happened: talking about a past moment from photos helps people who use AAC to tell a story (Soto et al., 2009). In Buddy, the schedule, sequences, notebooks and AAC boards share the same symbols (see Buddy’s visual schedule and sequences).
Frequently asked questions
Photos or symbols?
Both. Young children, autistic or not, often misread standard symbols (McCarthy et al., 2018): each symbol is learnt in context. For a specific place or person, a photo is often clearer.
Should I write the word under the picture?
Often, yes: print also supports understanding. A young autistic boy who followed one-step spoken instructions followed two or three when his teacher wrote them down as she spoke (Light et al., 1998). Adapt to the person’s reading level.
Are visual supports only for autism?
No. They have been shown to work at every age, and they help anyone who finds spoken language hard to understand or struggles to keep track of time, for example people with Down syndrome. For autism, see Autism and AAC.
Pictalk Buddy brings together AAC boards, a visual schedule, guided sequences and notebooks, with the same symbols, on Android, iOS, the web and the watch. A pay-what-you-want app, developed by a non-profit association. Discover Buddy
Sources
- Beukelman, D. R., & Light, J. C., 2020, Augmentative & Alternative Communication (5th ed.), Paul H. Brookes.
- Studies cited from Beukelman & Light (2020): Bopp et al. (2004); Knight et al. (2015); Soto et al. (2009); McCarthy et al. (2018); Light et al. (1998).