How to make a visual schedule for your autistic child at home

What is a visual schedule?

A visual schedule is a set of objects, photos, symbols or words, in order, that shows your child what is happening across part or all of the day. Some families call it a picture schedule. It works like a longer First-Then board: your child can see what is happening now, what comes next and what comes after that.

A schedule makes the day more predictable. Spoken words are gone as soon as they are said, but a picture stays where your child can check it as often as they need, without having to ask. The National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence and Practice (NCAEP), based at the University of North Carolina, describes visual supports as "concrete cues that provide information about an activity, routine, or expectation", and lists visual schedules among the common examples (NCAEP 2020). In Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society's 2019 statement on care after an autism diagnosis asks doctors to talk with families about shaping a child's surroundings, for example with "structured, predictable routines" (Canadian Paediatric Society).

Which kind of visual schedule suits my child?

Match the schedule to your child's stage, not their age, and start with the simplest version that works.

You also need to decide:

• Objects, photos, symbols or words. Use the kind your child already understands. Photos of your child's own things are often easier to understand than symbols: research with minimally speaking autistic children suggests colour photos can help children connect a picture with the real thing (Hartley and Allen 2015).
• Left to right, or top to bottom. Left to right follows the way English is read. A top-to-bottom column fits well on a door or the side of the fridge. Pick one and keep it the same.
• On the wall, or on the go. A strip on the wall at home, plus a small version in a binder or on a key ring for days out.

How do I make a visual schedule for home?

1. Pick one part of the day. Start with a hard one, often the morning rush or bedtime.
2. Write the steps down, in order. Keep to the main steps, such as breakfast, teeth, boots and car, not every small task.
3. Get the pictures. Take photos of your child's own things and places, or ask your child's daycare or school for the symbols they use. Write the word under each one, so every adult uses the same word.
4. Make them last. Print them, laminate them or cover them with clear packing tape, and stick a small piece of Velcro on the back of each one. Sticky tack or tape works until you have Velcro.
5. Make the strip. Stick a line of Velcro along a long strip of cardstock or cardboard. Put it at your child's eye level, where that part of the day starts: the kitchen for mornings, or the bedroom door for bedtime.
6. Add a finished pocket. Tape an envelope or a small box at the end of the strip for pictures that are done.

Or print the free visual schedule printable, which fits letter-size paper, and add your own pictures. ConnectABILITY, run by Community Living Toronto, also has a free Visuals Engine that builds printable picture cards from templates of 1 to 16 pictures, in English or French (ConnectABILITY).

How do I use a visual schedule through the day?

Go through the schedule together at the start, then come back to it at each change. Schedules seem to work best when adults teach children how to use them, step by step (see the research below).

1. Look at it together at the start of that part of the day. Point to each picture and say the word: "Breakfast, teeth, boots, car."
2. Come back to it at each change: "Teeth finished. Next boots."
3. Do the finished routine. When an activity ends, your child takes the picture off and posts it in the finished pocket, or turns it over. The next picture is now first in the row.
4. Help, then step back. At first, walk your child to the schedule and help them move the picture. Over time, wait a moment before helping, so they can do more themselves.
5. Keep it true. Only show what will really happen. If something changes, change the schedule and show your child.

How many pictures should I start with?

Start with 3 or 4 pictures for one part of the day. When your child moves through them easily, add one or two more, or add the next part of the day. This slow build-up is common practice rather than something research has tested. If your child seems overwhelmed, go back to fewer pictures, or to a First-Then board.

Mornings, bedtime and the bathroom

These routines have the same steps every day.

• Mornings: for example bathroom, get dressed, breakfast, teeth, coat and boots, car. Laying out clothes the night before can make the rush easier.
• Bedtime: for example bath, pyjamas, teeth, bathroom, story, bed. Keep the same order, and roughly the same time, each night.
• Using the toilet: a picture sequence beside the toilet breaks one task into small steps. Try the toileting sequence printable, and see toilet training.

What should I do when plans change?

Show the change on the schedule, before it happens if you can. The picture gives your child something to look at while you explain, and the rest of the schedule shows what is staying the same.

• Use a change card. Choose a clear symbol, such as a cross, a colour or the word "change". Put it over the picture of the activity that isn't happening, and put the new activity next to it.
• Say it simply: "Swimming finished today. Park instead."
• Point to what stays the same: "Then dinner, bath, bed."
• Mark gaps you can't fill yet with a question mark or a "surprise" card.
• Have a plan B, such as an indoor activity picture for days when rain or snow stops a trip to the park.

How do I match my child's daycare or school schedule?

Use the same pictures and words as daycare or school wherever you can, so your child learns one system, not two.

• Ask your child's teacher, early childhood educator, special education resource teacher (SERT in Ontario) or educational assistant for copies of the symbols on the class schedule, or a photo of it.
• Use the same words. If the class says "clean-up time", say that at home too.
• Put "daycare" or "school" on your morning and after-school schedules, with a photo of the building or the classroom door.
• Make a simple week strip or calendar that shows school days and home days.
• Ask the school to tell you early about changes such as field trips, a new teacher or picture day, so you can show them at home first.
• Plan weekends, March Break and summer vacation too. Days without daycare or school have less structure, so make a simple picture plan for each day, with meals, outings and home time.

Under Ontario's rules as of September 2026, when a student has been formally identified through an IPRC, the school must write an Individual Education Plan (IEP), consult the parents and send them a copy. School boards can also write IEPs for students who haven't been formally identified (Ontario Ministry of Education). You can ask for a visual schedule, and copies for home, to be part of it.

What if the visual schedule doesn't seem to work?

It often takes time. Change one thing at a time before giving up.

Pulling pictures off or pushing the schedule away is often a way of saying "no" or "I don't want the next thing". That is communication, not naughtiness. Some changes stay hard even with a schedule, especially leaving something your child loves. For those moments, see meltdowns, tantrums and shutdowns and feelings and calming.

What does the research say about visual schedules?

Picture schedules are one of the better-studied supports for autistic children, but most studies are small. Most of the studies below come from the US.

• A review of 31 studies of picture schedules, 16 of acceptable quality, concluded they can be considered evidence-based, "especially when used in combination with systematic instructional procedures". In plain terms, they worked best when adults actively taught children how to use them (Knight, Sartini and Spriggs 2015).
• A large review by NCAEP classed visual supports as one of 28 evidence-based practices. It counted 65 studies of visual supports, covering ages from toddlers to young adults (NCAEP 2020).
• Schedules don't remove every hard moment. In a small study of two autistic children, picture schedules on their own did not reduce distressed behaviour when the children had to move from a liked activity to a less-liked one (Waters, Lerman and Hovanetz 2009).
• Research on schedules on tablets and phones is thin: a 2025 review found 17 studies with 58 participants in total (Hammond et al. 2025). If you use an app, keep a paper version too, for daycare, the car and the bath.

Where can I get more help in Canada?

Your child's daycare or school, a speech-language pathologist and your province's autism services can all help, though what is on offer differs across Canada.

• Your child's daycare or school: ask them to share their symbols and schedule, and to use the same system as you.
• A speech-language pathologist (S-LP) can advise which kind of picture and how many steps suit your child. In Ontario, the Preschool Speech and Language Program serves children from birth until they start school, and "You do not need a referral from your doctor" (Ontario government). Elsewhere, ask your family doctor or your child's school how to reach one.
• Ontario: families registered in the Ontario Autism Program can get foundational family services, including caregiver workshops and coaching, free of charge (Ontario government). Families register through AccessOAP.
• British Columbia: Autism Information Services (1-844-878-4700, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) has support specialists who give guidance at any stage, including while you wait for an assessment (B.C. government).
• Alberta: Autism Society Alberta offers information and support for families.
• Anywhere in Canada: Autism Canada runs a national support line, and 211 can find local services.

If changes to routine cause your child severe distress most days, talk to your family doctor. If you are still waiting for an assessment, see what you can do while you wait.