Guides

Practical, plain-English guides to visual routines at home and school, written by a parent.

• Christmas with an autistic child: a calmer December

  Practical ideas for a calmer Christmas with an autistic or ADHD child: show December before it happens, plan the big day in pictures, handle visitors and keep a quiet space.

• How to use a visual timetable at home

  A simple, practical guide to setting up a visual timetable at home for an autistic or ADHD child: what to put on it, where to put it, and how to handle changes.

• Now and Next boards: what they are and how to use them

  What a Now and Next board is, how it differs from First and Then, and how to use one at home or school to make changes between activities easier.

• Halloween with an autistic child: a simple visual plan

  Practical ideas for a calmer Halloween with an autistic or ADHD child: plan trick-or-treating step by step, practise the costume, and prepare for doorbells and fireworks.

• Toilet training an autistic child: a visual, step-by-step approach

  Practical ideas for toilet training an autistic or ADHD child: break it into picture steps, build it into the day, plan for the noisy flush and keep accidents low-key.

• How to set up a calm down corner at home

  How to set up a calm down corner for an autistic or ADHD child: where to put it, what to put in it, and how to teach it so it gets used.

• Haircuts with an autistic child: how to make haircut day calmer

  Ideas for a calmer haircut with an autistic or ADHD child: a visual story, practising at home, what to tell the hairdresser and what to bring.

• Taking an autistic child to the dentist: a visual plan

  How to prepare an autistic or ADHD child for the dentist: a visual story, practising at home, what to tell the dental team and a stop signal.

• How to use a token board (reward chart) that actually works

  A simple guide to token boards for autistic and ADHD children: choosing the reward, how many tokens to start with, and the mistakes that stop them working.