Using Photographic Activity Schedules to Facilitate Independent Completion of Academic Tasks for Young Children with Autism

Some children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle to perform a series of academic tasks, like academic worksheets, independently. Photographic activity schedules are one technique that has been demonstrated to promote independent behavior in individuals with ASD. This study examined how activity schedules impacted the accurate and independent completion of a series of academic worksheets for three young children with ASD ages 6 and 7. Participants needed to performed a series of math and reading worksheets in the presence of an adult, but struggle to display those concepts accurately in the absence of an adult. Procedures involved training participants to use activity schedules until participants used activity schedules to accurately complete three worksheets without additional assistance. Completing these worksheets using schedules not only improved student accuracy but also provided more opportunities for students to learn in an environment with their typically developing peers