Making IEP Accommodations Actually Happen in Week One
5 min read
Visual Routines
Printing a Routine as Cards for the places a screen will not go.
The routine works on the app and the classroom does not allow devices, the grandparents will not install anything, and the swimming pool is not a place for a phone.
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Why it works here
Why a visual routine helps with printing a routine as cards
A routine on paper is not a downgrade, it is a different distribution channel. The sequence and the photos are what do the work, and both survive being printed, which means the same support can reach settings a screen never will.
You will recognize this if
- Key settings in your child's life do not allow devices.
- Other adults will not install an app for one afternoon.
- You want the routine somewhere permanently visible.
The setup
How to set it up for printing a routine as cards
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 Print the routine your child already knows, not a new version
- 2 Keep the same photos so recognition transfers directly
- 3 Laminate anything going near water, food, or a school bag
- 4 Make a second set for the other setting rather than moving one around
- 5 Attach a short note explaining the order, for other adults
- 6 Reprint when the digital version changes so the two never diverge
The mistake most families make
Building a different simplified version for print means your child has two routines to learn. Print the one they already know.
In the app
Built into the routine, not bolted onto it.
The Visual Routines lives inside the same routine your child already follows, so printing a routine as cards 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 printing a routine as cards comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About printing a routine as cards
Is paper as effective as the app?
For the sequence itself, yes. What you lose is easy updating and timers, and in a classroom or a pool that trade is often worth making.
Where do printed routines work best?
Bathrooms, classrooms, other people's houses, and anywhere a device is impractical or unwelcome.
How do I keep them in sync?
Reprint whenever you change the digital version. Two diverging versions of the same routine is worse than either one alone.
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.
