A visual schedule that can change with the day

A small, flexible way to make “now,” “next,” “done,” and unexpected changes more visible.

A visual schedule keeps the order in view

A visual schedule places activities or steps in a visible sequence. It can use objects, photographs, drawings, symbols, written words, or a mix. The person can return to the plan after spoken instructions have passed.

Use it for one routine, a transition between two activities, or part of a day. Mark the current item and give completed items a consistent place. If a plan changes, update the schedule so it does not keep showing an activity that will not happen.

NICE recommends words, pictures, or symbols that have meaning for the child or young person. A polished card has no value if the person cannot connect it to the activity.

Read the NICE guidance on visual supports

Now and next

Two items for a short transition. For leaving home, the cards could show coat and car.

One routine

Three or four steps inside a familiar routine. For leaving home, show shoes, bag, toilet, and door.

Part of the day

Larger activities across a morning or afternoon. Use this when the person wants that amount of the day in view.

Use cues the person understands

A generic symbol set may add a new decoding task. Start with the form of information the person uses in the same setting.

Objects

Use the object when it belongs to the next step and its purpose is direct, such as bringing the backpack that needs to go to the door. Avoid a token object whose meaning has to be guessed.

Photographs

Photograph the person’s own coat, bathroom, car, or classroom. Crop the image so the relevant place or object is easy to find.

Symbols

Reuse the symbol set from the person’s AAC system, school materials, or other supports. Keep one symbol for one activity across settings when that consistency helps.

Words

Use short written labels when the person reads and prefers text. A written schedule can be a note, checklist, calendar, or strip of cards.

Check one cue before making a full set

Show one cue at the point it refers to. Notice whether the person looks for the place or item, begins the activity, or checks the cue again. Change the format if you have to translate each card for them.

Research has tested schedule use, with limits

A 2021 evidence review classified visual supports as an evidence-based practice using 65 studies. The category included schedules, labels, scripts, maps, and other visual supports, so it does not provide one effect estimate for a flexible schedule used at home.

Read the 2021 visual-support evidence review
7 of 32

studies met the review’s design standards, with or without reservations

24

autistic participants were included in the seven qualifying single-case studies

Ages 3–17

were represented in those qualifying studies

The 2023 review measured on-task behaviour, independent transitions, peer play, and schedule following. The studies used instruction and prompting to teach schedule use. They did not test family stress, anxiety, or change cards in an ordinary home routine.

Read the 2023 activity-schedule review and meta-analysis

Test one routine before you build a day

A short trial can show whether the person understands the cues, checks the sequence, and can use the finished space. It also shows how much work the schedule creates for the caregiver.

1

Choose a routine with an information gap

Use a recurring moment where the person asks, waits, checks, or goes to the wrong place because the next step is unclear. Save the hardest routine for later.

2

Show two or three items

Use the same cue format for each item. Arrange the sequence from left to right or top to bottom, based on the direction the person can scan.

3

Add current and finished markers

Mark the current item without hiding it. Give completed cards one place labeled “done” or “finished.”

4

Point without taking their hand

Place the schedule in view, use a short cue such as “check schedule,” and point. The person decides whether to touch or move a card.

5

Watch across several uses

Record whether the person checks the schedule, starts the next activity, moves a card, ignores it, or removes it. Record the prompts and reset work you supplied.

6

Change one feature

Shorten the sequence, enlarge a photo, switch to words, move the schedule, or stop the trial. Keep the rest stable so you know what changed.

The AFIRM guide includes two-item, three-to-four-item, half-day, full-day, stationary, portable, and technology-based schedules. Treat those as design options, not a ladder every person must climb.

Read the AFIRM visual-support steps

Show the change on the schedule

A flexible schedule needs a visible way to replace an item. The Delaware Network for Excellence in Autism uses an “Oops” card over the changed item, followed by the replacement or the next available activity.

Teach the card during a familiar routine before a cancellation or delay creates pressure.
Place it over the item that changed, then show what will happen in its place.
Leave the parts of the schedule that remain accurate in view.

Information does not remove disappointment

A person may understand the changed plan and still object to it. Keep their communication, sensory, and recovery supports available. Do not use the card as proof that they should accept the replacement without a response.

Measure understanding apart from agreement

A person can understand the schedule and reject a step. Record those outcomes apart. Schedule use means the person can find and use information. Agreement concerns the activity, demand, timing, or available choices.

Keep the current version when

The person checks it without a fresh explanation for each card.
The current and next items make sense in the routine.
You can update it before the information becomes stale.

Revise or pause when

The person keeps misreading, avoiding, or removing the cues.
You have to repeat the full spoken plan for the schedule to work.
The routine changes faster than anyone can keep the schedule accurate.

Loose cards and magnets may not fit

Use a fixed page, a large board, or a digital schedule if the person mouths, tears, or throws small pieces. Avoid small loose magnets. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission warns that swallowed high-powered magnets can cause severe internal injury.

Read the CPSC magnet-safety guidance

Start with paper or a phone

Use materials you can change without rebuilding the system. A first trial needs a few accurate cues, a visible order, and a finished space.

Paper or a fixed board

Print photos or write labels on card. Use a binder page, whiteboard, clipboard, reusable adhesive, or hook-and-loop tape. The schedule can stay in view without a battery, but each change takes hands-on work.

Phone, tablet, or computer

Use a note, slide, calendar, or schedule app when quick edits and portability matter. Check whether notifications, device access, charging, or screen preferences interfere with use.

ARASAAC schedule generator

ARASAAC offers a free schedule maker using pictograms, images, and text. Its pictograms use a CC BY-NC-SA licence for non-commercial work.

Open the ARASAAC schedule generatorRead the ARASAAC terms of use

Widgit Online

Widgit is a paid browser tool for visual timetables and other symbol-supported materials. A trial can show whether its symbol library fits the person before a subscription.

View Widgit Online

AFIRM step-by-step guide

The free professional guide covers planning, cue format, schedule length, location, finished items, prompting, and data collection.

Open the AFIRM visual-support guide