The Coronavirus (COVI-19) outbreak has been unpredictable and stressful for all of us and as a result we have had to change our everyday routines and adjust accordingly. Adjusting to new routines is difficult, especially for children who have Autism and for those children who struggle with change.

A great way to help your child adjust during these unforeseen circumstances is by integrating a visual schedule into your day. A visual schedule helps to provide routine in your child’s day and a structure that is predictable. Visual schedules can also help children who have ADD/ADHD as it helps them focus, complete tasks and can also help with transitioning from one activity to another.

What is a visual schedule?
A visual schedule is a board that lays out the sequence of upcoming activities or events by words, pictures, objects or pictures and words.

What can a visual schedule help with:
1. Routine and predictability
2. Organisation
3. Transition from one activity to another
4. Reduces anxiety
5. Helps your child communicate needs and wants
6. Literacy development (as pictures are often paired with words which assist in comprehension and recognition of words)
7. Reinforces verbal instructions (especially for children who have difficulty with receptive language)
8. Teaches sequencing and time concepts
9. Facilitates language through visuals
10. Increases independency

These are some examples of visual schedules you can re-create.

Written by Senali Alahakone – Speech Pathologist at De Silva Kids Clinic

Playing with transport toys such as trains, cars and trucks can be a fun and engaging way to help support your child’s language development. Use the following cheat sheet to help work on these communication skills whilst you and your child are playing with transport!

Describing/labelling

Colour: red, blue, yellow, green etc.

Size: big, little, small

Shape: circle, round, square

Sound: whistling, noisy and loud

Speed: fast, slow, quick

Expanding vocabulary

Nouns: sounds (horn), parts of transport (wheels), places they go (road), traffic signs (stop signs)

Functions: what are different parts used for? (horn, wipers, wings)

Concepts: under, around, next to, behind, in front, between

Receptive language

Following directions: give directions using prepositions (e.g. under, around, next to, behind, in front, between, on, off)

Action words

• Go
• Push
• Stop
• Drive
• Pull
• Park
• Open
• Close
• Steer
• Move
• Start
• Fly
• Brake
• Turn
• Open/close

Play and social skills

• Encourage joint attention and pretend play
• Make eye contact and sharing
• Construct together and make stories
• Practise giving and following directions
• Learn road rules

Written by Sarah Pritchard, Speech Pathologist at De Silva Kids Clinic

Play-dough can be used to create a fun and engaging activity to work on a number of different communication skills. This can include describing, labelling, expanding vocabulary, receptive language, using action words (verbs) and play and social skills. Use the following cheat sheet to help work on these communication skills whilst you and your child are playing with play-dough!

Describing/labelling

Colour: red, blue, yellow, green etc.
Size: big, little, small
Shape: circle, round, square
Texture: smooth, sticky, squishy
Quantity: all, none, empty, full

Expanding vocabulary

Nouns: play-dough, lip, cup, scissors, knife, rolling pin, cookie cutter, table, bench
Concepts: in/out, long/short, more/less, same/different, on/off

Receptive language

Following directions: give directions using prepositions (e.g. under, around, next to, behind, in front, between, on, off)

Action words

• Make – Stick
• Give – Fold
• Push – Squeeze
• Pinch – Pull
• Squash – Roll
• Open – Close

Play and social skills

• Encourage joint attention
• Practise turn taking by taking turns to choose what to make
• Encourage eye contact
• Develop pretend play skills (e.g. pretending to use a play-dough object as something else)

Written by Sarah Pritchard – Speech Pathologist for De Silva Kids Clinic.

We often have referrals to OT to support children to ‘sit still’ when learning. This is often an important goal for many teachers as wriggly bodies can be disruptive to class learning. From an OT perspective, every person uses a variety of strategies to maintain attention.

Often, we are unaware as to what these may be, or even that we are using a strategy!

Movement is well known to support organisation and attention. Particularly, rhythmic, linear and repetitive motion. Movement however often does not fit into the social structure of learning environments.

Schools and workplaces are now becoming more aware of the positive influence of dynamic workplaces, spaces and access to movement has on productivity.

Some ideas to introduce to your learning spaces include:

• Keeping seated time to a minimum, between 5 and 15 minutes is a great length
• Offer movement breaks every 15 minutes of seated learning for junior years and every 30 for senior years
• Complete work in a variety of spaces and body positions, such as lying on the floor, working on the whiteboard, working outside
• Offer bouncy bounders on the bottom of chair legs (as pictured)
• Offer wobble stools, cushions, fitballs, etc.

Should you need further assistance or want to make an appointment to see an Occupational Therapist please contact us.

Written by Occupational Therapist Laura Taylor for De Silva Kids Clinic.