Visuals can be helpful for all students, especially those who are nonverbal. Having a predicable visual schedule can help students learn routine and ease anxiety. Read on to see some examples of visual schedules that can support nonverbal students!
Whole class schedules
It is always a good idea to have a visual schedule posted on the wall for all students to easily see. You can refer to the schedule all day long.
You can also have students walk up to the schedule and point to the part of the day that you are currently on. Students can do this before and after each section of the day. This helps them get used to the whole class routine.
Teachers Pay Teachers has plenty of free visual schedules. Many of them allow you to customize them to your classroom theme and daily schedule, like this one. Simply Special Ed also has this daily visual schedule that includes real life photos.
If students are working on telling time, you can even accompany the activity pictures with a visual of what the clock looks like at that time.
Individual student schedules for the whole day
Depending on the needs of your student, he/she may need their own personal schedule. This can be especially helpful if the student gets pulled for related services on different days.
Pictured below is a schedule I used with a nonverbal student. After each section of the day, he would move the picture from the “to do” side to the “done” side. He was able to stay on track throughout the day, and he liked having a special job to move the pictures over.
I prepared the visuals ahead of time for all of his related services, so I could easily add the correct related service onto his schedule for that day and switch it out with another.
First/Then
You may have nonverbal students who need the day broken down into smaller sections, so it is less overwhelming. “First/Then” schedules can be helpful.
For example, pictured below is a visual “first, then” schedule I used with a kindergarten student. We went over that first it was work time. Then, when he finished his work, he could do choice time, which consisted of choosing a preferred activity (coloring, play-doh, etc.)
I like having the “first, then” mat laminated and attached to a clipboard. I also put velcro dots on the mat and the pictures.
You can store the pictures in a bag that is attached to the other side of the clipboard or on the bottom. That way, students can easily find the picture cards and carry the board with them throughout the day.
This SSE blog post goes into more detail about first, then schedules, along with other types of visual schedules.
Visual schedules can be so helpful for nonverbal students and can even be used at home! You can help families set up a visual schedule for their child to be successful at home with their daily routines.
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