Inside the complete guide
- Understand participation before changing behavior
- Observe a routine without turning it into a label
- Make the environment easier to use
- Help children understand and communicate
- Teach transitions and help during difficult moments
- Offer one play idea with several ways to join
- Partner with families and connect to help
- Review the plan and keep what helps
Included working pages
- Child participation profile
- Routine observation record
- One routine support plan
- Family conversation and follow through
- Support review
The PDF pages are for printing and handwriting. The Word edition is editable. These planning tools do not replace official forms or required records.
Free excerpt
Help children understand and communicate
Speak close enough for the child to notice you, at a comfortable volume, and use a short message. Give the child time to respond before adding more language. Repeated instructions can become a stream of new information when the child is still processing the first sentence.
A photograph or familiar object can make a routine easier to understand. Show the child's own coat before going outside, or a photograph of the actual handwashing area before washing hands. Introduce the cue while doing the routine together. Do not assume that a child automatically understands a symbol because adults recognize it.
For a simple two-step sequence, show what is happening now and what happens next. "Shoes, then outside" describes the routine. Keep access to food, water, comfort, toileting, and needed communication independent of earning a reward. A visual should help the child understand the day, not become another demand to perform.
Accept communication in forms the child can use: a spoken word, gesture, sign, picture, or an established communication device. Keep the child's usual communication system accessible and follow the team's guidance. Do not require a child to repeat a word before responding to a clear request. Ask the family how the child communicates yes, no, help, pain, and finished.
Home languages belong in the plan. Ask families which familiar words are useful and how to say them. A child learning English may need additional ways to understand the group routine; using another language is not itself evidence of a developmental problem.
Introduce one cue with the child during the actual routine before making a large set. If a photo of the shoes helps, use it consistently and watch what changes. If it creates more confusion, adjust the image, the timing, or the amount of adult help. The tool has to serve the child.