In addition to daily schedules, weekly or monthly calendars are helpful to many people . Weekly or monthly calendars allow the individual to see what appointments and activities are coming up in the near future, which can serve to:
Increase awareness and expectations- Alleviate anxiety
- Increase anticipation for preferred events, which might enhance motivation
- Support understanding of differences in routines on different days
- Promote planning, time-management and self-direction skills
Don’t we all experience these same benefits when we use weekly or monthly schedules?
What are some events to include on a calendar?
- Upcoming doctor’s appointments
- Special occasions
- Social events
- Holidays
- Work meetings/appointments
- Assignment /project deadlines
- Anything else that is important to the individual
How to present this weekly or monthly information?
- In written planners, agenda books
- In weekly or monthly calendars or appointment books
- On hanging calendars
- In phones or handheld electronic devices
This decision is based on the needs of the individual.
Would the individual benefit more from weekly or monthly calendars?
Some individuals can handle and prefer to see all activities and appointments for the entire month. For others, a week by week basis works better. Assess how much information your student/employee pays attention to and processes at a time when determining whether to use a monthly or weekly calendar. If a monthly calendar seems overwhelming or confusing, try the weekly calendar. In some cases, you may use a weekly calendar by only writing the individual’s schedule on a daily basis.
Written or picture-written calendars?
Monthly and weekly calendars work best for individuals on a picture-written or written schedule. Individuals who are functioning on an object level will not likely understand the meaning behind a weekly or monthly calendar because it is too abstract. Individuals on an object schedule are either dealing with only the upcoming event/place or a sequence of only two or three places.
Here is an example of a weekly calendar for someone who is a solid reader:
Here is an example of a weekly calendar for someone on a picture-written level:
Download these Weekly and Monthly Calendars: