Learning Center

“Toddlers and preschoolers, especially, feel small in the world. Most things happen to them. They crave predictability, knowing what will happen, because it gives them some sense of control. A predictable routine allows children to feel safe, and to develop a sense of mastery in handling their lives. Kids who understand the routine, rather than feeling pushed around by what seems like arbitrary circumstance, are more likely to cooperate. Kids also need plenty of opportunity to make their own decisions and choices within certain windows of that schedule. I don’t generally endorse products, but SchKIDules looks like a terrific way to give toddlers the security of knowing “what happens next” in their day.”

Dr. Laura Markham

“Visual schedules have always been an important part of organizing the day for children especially for those on the Autism Spectrum. It helps with eliminating difficult transitions by creating a visual structured schedule while eliminating surprises which can lead to anxieties and stress and of course behaviors. SchKIDules visual supports are simple images that are appealing to the eye and to the touch offering a sensory friendly and tactile item for all ages to safely manipulate with ease. The images provided in the SchKIDule are universal and can be applied to help with daily planning from a very young age, giving children a chance to become a little more independent each day.”

Dominique Chabot
Family Services Manager at Autism Canada

“For years I have made visual schedules for families with online software you print yourself, which is of course high quality, and quite useful, but require a lot of my time creating, cutting, laminating, etc. As a busy practitioner this is not always possible. Using SchKIDules has allowed me to still provide the visual supports that families need, but it saves so much time! Thank you for allowing us to support our families in a prompt and high quality manner.”

Elsa L. Berndt, MA, LPA
MIssion Children’s Hospital

Debbie Drennan, MSW

Manager, Early Start Family
Resource Center

I am an Assistive Technology Specialist working in the Bay Area with over 20 years of experience. Recently, I had the opportunity of working with two different Early Intervention agencies under a grant from Ability Central, to look at tools that are the most beneficial for families.

Both agencies agreed that visual schedules were the most effective and in some cases, really life changing, for the families they worked with. They really helped the families to help their child understand what was happening, and helped to reduce a lot of difficult behaviors in the child. Having the children be able to see and understand what was going to happen, really helped those who had trouble with attention as the pictures don’t go away, as well as children who were still learning words and word meaning (receptive language). It also helped those children who had trouble with changes in their routine, as they could see and understand that a change was going to happen before it happened.

However, both agencies agreed that making all the visual routines was time-consuming for them, and for the families. They also were looking for something that was portable and durable. That is where SchKIDules Visual Schedules comes in. The pre-made magnetic symbols are a real time saver, and the board to hang up in the home to put the symbols on is great. The symbols are visually easy to understand as well. Because there is no velcro to deal with, the system is easy to wipe clean between uses to keep it clean for the children. For families and professionals that are looking to explore the use of visual schedules with their children or clients, this product is relatively inexpensive, and a great place to start.