Should You Observe in the Classroom? A Provider Guide
3 min read
Visual Routines
Building a Routine With Your Child so it is theirs rather than yours.
You built a beautiful routine, presented it proudly, and your child has ignored it for a week. It was designed for them and never once with them.
Free 7-day trial · No email or credit card to start · Built by an autism dad and a licensed SLP
Why it works here
Why a visual routine helps with building a routine with your child
A routine your child helped build is a shared agreement, while one presented to them is a rule. That difference changes almost everything about how it is received, particularly for children who resist being directed.
You will recognize this if
- Your child ignores a routine you designed carefully.
- Resistance is highest at the moments you most want compliance.
- Your child has never been asked what they would change.
The setup
How to set it up for building a routine with your child
Takes about five minutes. Use it as written, or keep only the steps your family needs. A short setup that gets used beats a complete one that gets abandoned in week two.
- 1 Ask which part of the day your child finds hardest, and start there
- 2 Let them choose the order wherever the order genuinely could vary
- 3 Let them take or choose the photos
- 4 Include one step they want that you would not have added
- 5 Agree it out loud as a plan rather than announcing it
- 6 Review it together on a fixed day and act on at least one of their changes
The mistake most families make
Asking for input and then overriding it is worse than not asking, because it confirms the routine was never really a negotiation.
In the app
Built into the routine, not bolted onto it.
The Visual Routines lives inside the same routine your child already follows, so building a routine with your child is a step with a visible length rather than a separate tool somebody has to remember to open.
- Attach it to any step in any routine
- Works for pre-readers, gestalt language processors, and AAC users
- Same setup at home, at school, and in therapy
Set this up for your child.
Five minutes to build, and your child sees it every time building a routine with your child comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About building a routine with your child
What if my child chooses an unworkable order?
Try it. Either it works, which means you were wrong, or it does not, and your child has learned something more convincing than being told.
How young can a child help build a routine?
Younger than most parents assume. Choosing photos and picking the order of two steps is meaningful participation at three or four.
What if they refuse to participate?
Build a minimal version and leave room for them to add to it. Ownership can arrive later, and an empty slot is an invitation.
VizyPlan supports routines and communication at home and school. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your child's care team about clinical questions.
