An Evaluation of an iPad-Based Activity Schedule

A visual activity schedule is a set of pictures or words that can be used to teach an individual with disabilities to complete a set of tasks. These schedules can help individuals with disabilities to become more independent and complete tasks appropriately. Children with autism often engage in behaviors that are repetitive or not appropriate when playing. Visual activity schedules have been used to teach a variety of skill and teach appropriate play. Typically, activity schedules are paper based; this study examines the use of an activity schedule taught on an iPad. This study included three young boys with a diagnosis of autism who were attending a university-based early intervention preschool. This study found that technology-based activity schedules are an effective way to teach play and the technology-based activity schedule was preferred for two of the three participants