VOLUME 01
ISSUE 01
RETHINKING THE ROUTINE
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ON THE SPECTRUM IN
ADULTHOOD
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A NEWSLETTER PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR THE
ADULT AUTISM COMMUNITY
Brought to you by
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A MESSAGE FROM
THE DIRECTOR
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Welcome to
On The Spectrum In Adulthood!
We are excited to offer resources and content specifically tailored for adults on the autism spectrum, their families and caregivers, and support professionals who serve adults on the autism spectrum. This newsletter will provide information on a different topic each week, with content developed by a wide range of contributors with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, including:
- Board Certified Behavior Analysts
- Researchers
- Adults on the autism spectrum
- Family members and caregivers of adults on the autism spectrum
- And more!
Our first newsletter focuses on ways to pivot and plan for routines and activities at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope these resources are helpful! Again, thank you for being a part of
On the Spectrum in
Adulthood!
--
James Maraventano, Ed.D., BCBA-D
Director, RCAAS-SCALE Program
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The COVID-19 pandemic has created a unique and challenging set of circumstances for how we all go about our daily routines. From school and business closures to social distancing guidelines, many of our regularly scheduled activities and routines are disrupted or unavailable. These circumstances can become a source of stress, confusion, and/or anxiety for some adults on the autism spectrum as well as their families and caregivers.
Whether an adult on the autism spectrum must adjust to working remotely, is out of work, or their day program is closed, routines in the form of activity schedules could provide structure to reduce ambiguity and uncertainty about their day. Within this e-newsletter are some activities, resources, and grant opportunities available for adults on the autism spectrum to assist in establishing structure and rethink the routine.
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WHAT IS AN ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
AND WHERE DO I START?
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At some point in all our lives, a step-by-step breakdown of a task or a group of tasks has helped us to understand the sequence of responses needed to get through it. In essence, this is what an activity schedule is: a visual or textual breakdown of activities to promote independence for day-to-day tasks.
Autism Speaks
offers a resource for individuals on the autism spectrum. This resource explains what visual activity schedules are, why they are important, and how to go about creating visual activity schedules.
Click here
to access the guide. While this resource offers guidance for children on the autism spectrum, there are several studies which show how activity schedules can benefit adults on the autism spectrum as well. Therefore, this can be a very useful tool for developing activity schedules within your homes. Here are some additional readings on activity schedules for adults on the autism spectrum:
Burckley, E., Tincani, M., & Guld Fisher, A. (2015). An iPad
TM
–based picture and video activity schedule increases community shopping skills of a young adult with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability.
Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 18
(2), 131-136.
Pérez-Fuster, P., Sevilla, J., & Herrera, G. (2019). Enhancing daily living skills in four adults with autism spectrum disorder through an embodied digital technology-mediated intervention.
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 58
, 54-67.
Watanabe, M. & Sturmey, P. (2003). The effect of choice-making opportunities during activity schedules on task engagement of adults with autism.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
,
33
(5), 535-538.
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WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO DEVELOP
AN ACTIVITY SCHEDULE?
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Activity schedules are versatile and can be tailored to fit an individual’s specific needs. Whether pictorial, textual, or video-based, activity schedules can work on any budget and can be adapted to fit many ability levels. Some of the more common types of activity schedules use a combination of text and images to signal the steps of an activity in a sequence. Growing in popularity is the use of technology for developing and implementing activity schedules. Specifically, visual activity scheduling applications for smart phones and other devices are potentially useful tools to assist in the development of functional living skills. Check out
Visual Schedules: A Practical Guide for Families
developed by Katherine Havlik. This resource provides tips for creating effective schedules, a breakdown of applications for smartphones/tablets, printable materials, links to additional sites, and scholarly references related to activity scheduling.
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ACTIVITY SCHEDULE EXAMPLES
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When getting started with developing activity schedules, think about what the main goal is, and how much detail is needed. For example, will the schedule be for a full day, a few activities, or just one full activity? Some adults on the autism spectrum may or may not need a detailed breakdown of activities. However, others may require more intensive schedules with greater detail to stay on task and remain engaged. Below are a few examples of activity schedules. Please note, these examples were individualized for the participants of the Supporting Community Access through Leisure and Employment (SCALE) Program. Any schedule you intend to develop will need to be tailored to fit the individual's needs and abilities, environmental factors, and materials available.
Single Activity:
This example was made on presentation software (e.g., Google Slides) and can be kept on a personal device (e.g., smartphone, tablet).
Series of Responses within an Activity:
This is a more standard activity schedule that can be printed out. However, this can also be adapted to personal device (e.g., smartphone, tablet).
Time-Based (Partial Day):
This is a screenshot of a schedule created using the Google Calendar application. This example can be kept on a personal device (e.g., smartphone, tablet) for quick reference.
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TECHNOLOGY GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM
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THE DANNY'S WISH iPADS FOR AUTISM CAMPAIGN:
iPads are one of the many digital devices that can be used to create activity schedules, enhance social and communication skills, and explore recreational opportunities.
The Danny’s Wish iPads for Autism Campaign
offers free iPads to qualified individuals and families.
The campaign's mission is to "provide life enhancing resources" to people touched by autism. Please check out their website for more information. You can also
click here
to access the application directly.
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NEED IDEAS FOR
YOUR SCHEDULES?
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Now that you have the tools to help develop an activity schedule, what should be in it? It’s important to remember an activity schedule doesn’t need to be all work. Embed some leisure and preferred activities that could serve as reinforcement! Here are some ideas for web-based activities to embed in your schedules that can help fill the day and keep you or the one you are developing a schedule for, engaged, while in the house.
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Develop Those Culinary Skills!
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While not all of us will become expert chefs, cooking can be a great skill to refine while at home. Here are a few links to hone your cooking skills, which can be embedded into an activity schedule:
Lessons
– These cooking lessons are online and free! A total of 6 lessons where you can learn the tools of the kitchen, knife skills, and different cooking methods are available here. Plus, there are links to different recipes you can try with your new skills!
Bon App
é
tit
Cooking Videos
–Bon Appétit has a YouTube channel with countless video cooking recipes, tutorials, and more. You can use this channel to surf around and determine your favorite recipes.
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View Some Virtual Culture!
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It's All Happening at the Virtual Zoo!
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Many zoos and aquariums are offering virtual tours, chat opportunities, and videos of their animals while closed. Here are just a few zoos and aquariums with learning and leisure activities to embed into your schedules. You can also look for your favorite zoos or aquariums online!
Virtual tour of the zoo featuring a different animal every day.
Videos, chats, and educational activities.
L
ive cameras, videos, and educational activities.
L
ive cameras, blogs, and educational blogs.
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"If you pick the right small behavior and sequence it right, then you won't have to motivate yourself to have it grow. It will just happen naturally, like a good seed planted in a good spot."
- BJ Fogg
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RCAAS' SCALE program is now accepting applications!
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WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE RCAAS E-NEWSLETTER AND FOUND IT USEFUL.
PLEASE DON’T HESITATE TO SEND FEEDBACK OR
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