A Substitute Teacher Plan That Autistic Students Can Trust
4 min read
Vizy Countdown
Counting Down to a Routine Change before you change it.
You need to move bedtime forward by an hour, or switch which parent does the school run, or drop a nap. Whatever it is, changing it overnight is going to go badly.
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 countdown helps with counting down to a routine change
Routine changes that arrive without warning read as the routine becoming unreliable, which undermines every other routine at the same time. Counting down to a planned change, and moving in small increments, preserves the trust that makes the rest of the day work.
You will recognize this if
- A routine needs to change for practical reasons.
- Previous abrupt changes produced disproportionate reactions.
- Your child treats routines as promises rather than habits.
The setup
How to set it up for counting down to a routine change
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 Announce the change before it happens rather than during it
- 2 Count down the days until the new version starts
- 3 Move in small increments rather than all at once where the change allows it
- 4 Show the new routine visually before the first day it applies
- 5 Name what is staying the same alongside what is changing
- 6 Hold the new version for at least two weeks before judging it
The mistake most families make
Changing a routine quietly in the hope your child will not notice guarantees they notice, and it makes them watchful about every other routine.
In the app
Built into the routine, not bolted onto it.
The Vizy Countdown lives inside the same routine your child already follows, so counting down to a routine change 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 counting down to a routine change comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About counting down to a routine change
How much notice does a routine change need?
A few days for a small change, a week or more for something significant like bedtime. Incremental beats abrupt almost every time.
What if the change has to happen immediately?
Say so, explain why, and show the new version visually. Honest short notice is much better than a silent switch.
How long before we know it is working?
At least two weeks. Most routine changes are worse for the first several days regardless of how good the new version is.
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.
