Visual timetable for autism: how to set one up step by step
Which kind of picture to use, how to begin with just two cards and how to warn of a change: a simple method so a visual timetable really helps your child at home.
You are looking for a visual timetable for autism because the day is hard for your child to predict. A cancelled outing, an earlier bath, a different route, and everything can tip over. Words are not always enough: they pass quickly, while a picture stays in front of them.
A visual timetable shows the day in order, one picture per moment. It does not replace the support your child receives, but it helps them know what comes next. Our printable routine charts for kids are a simple base to adapt to their pace.
The essentials
- Start from what they understand: object, photo, drawing or word, depending on your child.
- Begin with two cards: "first, then" is enough for the first weeks.
- Remove what is done: they see the day move forward, card by card.
- Flag the unexpected: a dedicated card warns of a change before it happens.
What is a visual timetable for in autism?
It makes time visible. Many autistic children find it hard to anticipate what they cannot see: a string of spoken instructions fades, a row of pictures stays. The timetable answers the question that keeps coming back, "and then what?", without you having to repeat yourself.
It also helps with transitions, those moments when one activity ends and another begins. When your child can see that play is followed by the bath, then the story, the change is announced. Guidance from autism organisations, such as the National Autistic Society, describes visual supports as a help for predictability and independence.
Let's stay careful: every child is different, and a timetable is not a treatment. If your child sees a speech and language therapist, an occupational therapist or a specialist teacher, show them your timetable. They will adjust it, and your child will find the same cues at home and elsewhere.
Objects, photos or symbols: which should you use?
The right format is the one your child already understands, not the prettiest one. Watch them for a few days, then place them on this ladder:
- The real thing: the toothbrush you hold out before going to the bathroom is the most concrete.
- Their own photo: their bowl, their home, Nan's car, when objects become too bulky.
- A simple drawing: the symbol, lighter and easy to multiply.
- The word alone: for a child who reads, a written timetable takes over.
Nothing says you must climb the steps in order or change everything at once. You can also mix formats: a photo for the person collecting them, a symbol for the rest.
Five printable charts for different moments
Here are the charts in our shop that work well as a visual timetable, from the most open to the most specific. They are everyday tools designed for all children, not specifically for autism: you, and the people who support your child, are best placed to judge whether they suit them.
1. Picture cards, to build your own timetable
If you would rather build the timetable yourself, start with a stock of pictures. Each day you choose the useful cards and keep the others in a box.
Visual timetable picture cards for kids include 65 cards in a soft style, with a word under each picture: school, school dinners, swimming, bath, sleep, potty, weather, seasons. A large card shows your child's name. It is a four-page A4 PDF.
The word under each picture helps twice: adults always name the card the same way, and a child starting to read recognises the word.
2. "To do" and "Done", to see the routine move on
For a child who needs to see what is left, nothing beats a physical gesture. After each step, they move the card from one column to the other themselves.
Routine chart for kids: To do and Done gives a morning chart and an evening chart with your child's name, with the "To do" and "Done!" columns, plus the cards to cut out. It is a three-page A4 PDF.
It is the chart closest to the "remove what is done" step described below.
3. A tick-box routine chart, for children who like ticking
Some children dislike loose cards that fall off or get lost. A fixed page with one box to tick per step suits them better.
Routine chart for kids: Classic shows the 12 morning and evening steps in pictures, with tick boxes. The name is optional, on one A4 page for the bedroom or the bathroom.
Laminated, the page can be ticked with a wipe-clean pen and used again the next day.
4. The bedtime routine, for an evening always in the same order
Evenings often gather the hardest transitions: stopping play, going to the bath, going to sleep. A chart just for this moment fixes the order once and for all.
Bedtime routine chart for kids shows five line-drawn steps, bath, pyjamas, teeth, story, bed, with seven small boxes for each day of the week.
Its limit: the five steps are set. If your evening follows another order, choose the picture cards instead.
5. The weekly planner with photos, for who is collecting them
For a child unsettled by changes of person, a drawing of "Dad" stays abstract. A real photo speaks straight away.
Kids weekly planner with photos: who's picking me up? shows each day a photo of the person collecting your child, Dad, Mum, Grandma or the childminder, with their name on it.
It covers the week, not the day: it adds to a daily timetable, it does not replace it.
The five charts compared
To decide, look first at the time covered: a day broken into steps and a whole week do not answer the same question.
| Chart | What it shows | Time covered | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture cards | 65 pictures with a word | Build it yourself | Name card |
| To do and Done | What is left, then what is done | Morning and evening | Yes |
| Tick-box chart | 12 steps in pictures | Morning and evening | Optional |
| Bedtime routine | 5 evening steps | One week, a box per evening | Yes |
| Planner with photos | Who collects them | 7 days | Yes, with photos |
Above all, remember that loose cards adapt to anything, while ready-made charts save time for one specific moment. Nothing stops you combining both.
Setting up the timetable: 3 key steps
Once the chart is chosen, everything happens in three steps. Take your time with each: a two-card timetable that gets used beats a full chart your child ignores.
1. Start small: "first, then"
For the first days, two cards are enough: first teeth, then getting dressed. Choose a sequence your child already lives every day, so they link the picture to the action.
Show the card, always name it with the same word, then do the activity. Once these two cards are familiar, add a third, then a fourth.
2. Remove what is done
When an activity is over, your child takes its card off and drops it into a box or an envelope marked "finished". This gesture marks the end, and the next card becomes the new step to look at.
Hang the timetable at their eye level and always read it in the same direction, top to bottom or left to right. A little Velcro or reusable adhesive lets you take the cards off without damaging them.
3. Warn of changes
Guides on visual supports often suggest a "change" card: it replaces the activity that is changing, and your child learns that it announces something new. Keep it always the same, a star for example.
Put it up as early as you can, as soon as you know about the change, and explain it in simple words. It will not remove the difficulty, but it avoids a total surprise.
Use the change card the first time for something nice, an ice cream or a visit they are looking forward to. Your child will first link it to good news, and accept it more easily afterwards.
To organise the days of the week next, read our guide: how to use a kids weekly planner.
What is the TEACCH approach?
TEACCH is a support approach that began in the 1970s in North Carolina, in the United States. It relies on structured teaching: organising space, time and tasks visually, so that the person knows where they are, what to do and what comes next. The visual timetable is one of its best-known tools.
Putting it in place is a job for trained professionals. At home, you can keep the simple idea of a predictable environment, and ask the team supporting your child how to apply it in your house.
Where can I find a printable visual timetable?
Start with the professionals who support your child, and with their nursery or school: if the class already uses symbols, ask for the same ones. Using the same pictures everywhere spares your child from learning two visual languages. Autism charities also publish free guidance on visual supports.
To make your own cards, there are free symbol libraries such as ARASAAC, run by the Government of Aragon in Spain. If you prefer a ready-to-print chart in a soft style with your child's name, the cards and charts above are A4 PDF files to print at home or at a print shop, on thick paper.
Mistakes to avoid
Four slips quickly make a timetable useless, and they are easy to fix:
- Showing the whole day at once: a long row of cards no longer says anything. Start with two.
- Changing pictures along the way: a new image for the same moment forces your child to learn everything again.
- Using the timetable as a punishment: taking away a favourite activity while showing its card will make them wary of the whole chart.
- Letting it go out of date: a timetable that is no longer accurate loses its value as a cue within days.
Going further
A useful visual timetable needs little: the format your child understands, two cards to begin with and the same pictures everywhere. To go further, see our kids weekly planners and our morning and evening routine charts.
- If mornings are still the tensest moment, read our guide to a morning routine for kids.
- To move from the day to the week, read when and how to use a weekly planner.
To discover all our prints, visit Les Affiches Douces.
