What type of schedule does the student need (a written schedule, a picture-written schedule, a picture schedule, or an object-based schedule) to independently determine where to go for each event of the day and in what order?
A template schedule can often be appropriate for cyclical jobs like landscape, nursery and greenhouse settings. While some tasks shift from day to day, others may not, and thus are always present on the template. Because supervisors and co-workers are often willing to fill in the blanks on a list or schedule prior to the student’s shift, this is a natural support that can be used in the future.
The student may benefit from a calendar that identifies who will be working that day and/or who is the contact person for him each day. If the student cannot use the calendar at the job site, consider how to set up predictability of who is in charge each day.
This example shows a written schedule where the first three items occur every shift and provides 5 spaces for a co-worker or supervisor to fill-in that specific shift’s tasks:
This same schedule could be presented in a picture or object form as well. In a picture form, the schedule may be on a posted laminated strip with the first three items always put on in the same order and the next 3-5 spaces for various tasks specific to the shift:
How will the student interact with his schedule to ensure that he is consistently using and referencing it? Will he check items off, delete items, place completed events in a folder, place items in a bin to represent completion of an activity, etc.?
Is the schedule available to the student at all times? If not, what adjustments should you make to ensure its accessibility?
The student’s schedule needs to be kept in a safe location such that no one else is likely to move it. The student can then know where to look for his schedule every day when he arrives at the work site. It may be in his locker or a specific place for his belongings. In this way, you can build a routine of putting up belongings and getting the daily schedule to determine where to go next. *Remember that a consistent daily routine that always stays the same is actually a mirage! Nothing stays the same for long in any work space and job priorities and tasks do change. Do not expect the student to learn a routine and just follow that routine each day. How upset or disoriented will he be when the supervisor tells him that he needs to do something different one day? The schedule is a support that builds independence and helps the student see changes and make sense of those changes.
What additional cues (e.g. time durations, highlighting, reminders) might you add to the schedule to clarify expectations and activities?
In order to align this intervention topic area with the unique needs of the student, do you need to create a schedule in the View2do program?