Around Town Round Up-- Transitions

Transitions are difficult for many students with autism. Therefore, we always emphasize with the teams we coach the importance of having transition supports that can help students better understand the expectations and can prime them for this difficult task. Today's Around Town Round Up will feature some of our favorite transition supports.

One of our go-to supports is the Visual Countdown. A visual countdown can help prepare the student cognitively and emotionally for the upcoming change or expectation. The Countdown is used as a visual aide for the student. As the adult anticipates an upcoming transition, the adult begins the countdown by placing a picture of the upcoming activity at the bottom of the countdown. As the transition time approaches, the adult removes the numbers, beginning with 5 and progressing on down until the transition picture is reached. The unique aspect of the visual countdown is that the adult maintains control of the timetable, whereas with a visual timer, the time elapses on its own from the fixed increments of mechanical movement in the timer. Thus, the visual countdown allows more control and flexibility for the adult facilitating the transition.  When using the Countdown, we suggest that teams use this tool to transition to preferred activities and non-preferred tasks.  If it is only used to transition to a non-preferred task then the student will develop a negative reaction to the tool.  

Large Class-wide Countdown
Jared Taylor
Simon Kenton Elementary, Springfield

Arrow Countdown
Leslie Mann
Smith MS, Vandalia-Butler

Countdowns velcro'd to door to cue staff to take when leaving classroom

Countdown on paint stirrer

Countdown on ruler
Robbie Whorton
Trotwood-Madison HS, Trotwood

Countdown spinner

The Visual Countdown is a great tool to help students with waiting. In addition to this support we have seen great use of a "waiting chair" to give students a visual and physical boundary of where they should be when waiting to leave the classroom or if they enter between class periods. 

Individual wait chairs with busy bins underneath for each student
Rachel Hatton
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Tabitha Eaton
Main Elementary, Beavercreek

Top:
Kendall Koehler
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Bottom:
Greene INC

Some students may not need the physical prompt of a chair but may still benefit from a visual support to help them know where to wait when lining up with the class for a transition. 

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Our team Speech and Language Pathologist, Carol Dittoe, has also created a great support for students learning to wait. Carol's Wait Card support provides a visual and 4 simple strategies that students can be directly taught to help them with waiting.