Guest blogger Mandi Schaumburg of Panda Speech
In my profession, it is well known that using visual schedules with students on the Autism Spectrum is beneficial and I have seen them work wonders with my students! Did you know that visual session schedules can benefit almost ANY young student though? I use visual session schedules with almost all of my students in speech therapy (please note: a session schedule has images that represent the activities on your lesson plan for the day in therapy, this is different from the students\’ visual schedules they would use in the classroom).
Here are my top 3 reasons….
- Stops the begging! When you use a session schedule, it visually lets your students know the expectations for the session. I use to have students constantly begging for their favorite therapy activity (“Mrs. S, can we play a game,” “Mrs. S can we do a craft,” “Mrs. S can we work on the iPad”….). Using a session schedule reduces this because the students know exactly what they are doing that day when they walk in. It can take some time getting used to it, but after one or two weeks my students (even pre-kers) come into therapy ready to complete their schedule!
- Reduces transition anxiety. I have students on the Autism Spectrum and some students who are not that struggle with anxiety and the “fear of the unknown.” For these students, I use the schedule to give them a sense of what to expect the minute they walk in my room. It also helps them to “see the light at the end of the tunnel” because they know when the schedule is complete, they get to go back to class. I also have a “lightning bolt” system that we use in case there is something unexpected (read more about that below) that interrupts the schedule.
- Helps with behavior. I am not saying session schedules will solve behavior problems, but in my experience, they can really help! Having a visual schedule is a good way to initiate boundaries in your room. Consistency is the key with any behavior issues. Structure in your session may significantly help with behavioral issues with some students. I also use FIRST/THEN and “I am working for” schedules to help in this area too. Some students can’t handle the big schedule and may need the activities broken down with a break/reward in between (see below for more on this).
There are many other benefits of using a session schedule in therapy such as building vocabulary, following directions, learning organization skills, learning time concepts, sequencing skills, recognizing text, and so much more (remember my post was only about three reasons, ha ha).
Here are the schedules I use in my therapy room. I keep the extra symbols in a zip bag.
If you like the schedules above, today is your lucky day! I wanted to share this simple, yet effective tool with all of my readers. I included several different formats for your convenience. Choose the one that works best for your lesson plans. It is easy to switch out the symbols for each group or session. These schedules will work with school based OTs, PTs, and counselors too.
I tried to include all the symbols a therapist might need, but there are so many activities out there that are adaptable for speech and language therapy (there was no way I could anticipate them all). I included broad symbols (table work, carpet time, clean up time etc…) and specific activity symbols (book, play-dough, game, worksheet, coloring, etc…).
You will most likely need additional images for specific activities or interests. I use Smarty Symbols for all of my visuals. They have personal use plans (for your classroom) and commercial use plans (if you want to create items to sell). Click here to check them out! You won\’t find a symbol library with more or better symbols!! (affiliate link) The symbol library is all online, so you have access to it 24/7!
To get this session schedule and a bonus first/then board for FREE click here!
I hope you find it useful!
I also have a full pack of visuals for any school-based therapist (SLP/OT/PT/Counselors) that contain the free schedule above but with more schedule formats and images. It also comes with first/next/last boards, first/next/then/last boards, token boards, and helpful visuals.
Find out about other visual schedule systems Mandi uses on Panda Speech.
