Kids with sensory processing disorder often have trouble understanding time and sequence without the help of visual supports. One of the best tips I ever got from another parent was to make and use a visual to do list for my son when he was in preschool to keep him on task during the morning routine. My quickly scribbled list was like a magic wand! Suddenly, instead of redirecting him 176 times before getting him on the little yellow bus, I had him showing me just what he needed to do next to get ready to go out the door and take the bus to school.
My latest Sensory Smart Parenting Tip video shows you the list I used and gives you the basics:
You can download line drawings to use in your visual to do list if you go to www.Do2Learn.com Some kids do a little better with actual photos representing the tasks they have to accomplish in sequence.
You can use a visual to do list to remind your child of a morning or bedtime routine, or to give your child a sense of control as you take her along on a series of chores. A portable visual to do list used in the car can help your child hold on to the abstract ideas of having to go to the grocery store, and then the bank, and then to Grandma's house. Let her tell you what is next on your "list" as she "reads" from the visual to do list she's holding.
Visual supports like the visual to do list (also known as a picture to do list) make abstract ideas concrete, which can really help a visual/spatial thinker to feel a sense of predictability and control over her day.
