Activity Schedules for Children With Autism: Teaching Independent Behavior (Topics in Autism) (Topics in Autism)

"I found this book to be one of the most helpful I've ordered in the course of three years of personal research and work with my son. I knew that the school my son attends was using picture schedules, but I had not been able to fully understand the theory and practice of this.

While producing and using a picture schedule can take a great deal of time--training for independence is quite challenging--the book establishes the theory of the practice in plain language. This is definitely a must read for parents and care-givers, including volunteers in church or community child-care or respite programs.

In addition to clear explanation of the theory and use of picture schedules, the images included work to sharpen the concepts--also a plus for those of us are more visually inclined. The tips for starting small and working up, as well as tips for using picture schedules of varying levels of sophistication are also priceless.

I'm using this with some of my other (read neuro-typical) children, and it works beautifully with them, as well. Like signing with your baby, this is a great step in establishing routines and independence in little ones, and even older children."
~ Written on 2008-01-24

"This book is a must have for anyone wishing to implement an activity schedule. This book was required reading for a teaching children with autism course at UMASS. Not only is it extremely informative, guiding the reader through each detail designing the schedule and implementing the schedule, it is also an easy, quick read that I refer back to often. Additionally, the authors are well published in scientific journals. Great resource for parents, teachers, and professionals."
~ Written on 2007-11-29

"A great book for teaching life skills to children with autism. Useful for the young and old child, the new and experienced teacher. Very detailed and helpful book."
~ Written on 2007-01-29

" This book is necessary for anybody looking to implement or improve an already existing activity schedule. Although McClannahan and Krantz are experts in the field of behavior analysis, they wrote the books so that you don't have to be a near genius I.Q to understand it. The book is perfect for parents and teachers as well as students studying behavior analysis or special education teachers interested in working with autistic children. The first chapter is dedicated to discussing what an activity schedule is and how your child or student will benefit. The subsequent chapter delves into the pre-requisite skills the child will need prior to beginning. The authors explain each pre-requisite skill, why it is necessary and provide examples of each skill. The next few chapters discuss how to implement the activity schedule as well as how to measure progress. They really left nothing out. Toward the end of the book, they explained what to do when the activity schedule is mastered and provided a great deal of detail on the dos and don'ts. It is clear, that the McClannahan and Krantz really want readers to be successful at creating and teaching activity schedules. They have also co-authored Teaching Conversation to Children with Autism, which is also worth checking out. My hats off to them on such an awesome educational easy to read and understand how to book. "
~ Written on 2006-08-02

"The goal of raising any child is to guide them into independance, and though many autistic children will never reach complete independance, it remains an important goal. Independance is an important factor in self-esteem and is essential for entering any portion of adult life. I was consistantly frustrated with therapy manuals which required my complete and undivided attention at all times. I'm under no delusion that I will be forever available to my autistic son, and it would be nice for me to feel that he could get up and at least dress himself at some point without my verbally prompting him.

The clear instructions and logical directives in "Activity Schedules for Children with Autism" place it on my 'highly recommended' list. While not a book I would recommend for a parent whose child has been newly diagnosed, I certainly recommend it to those parents with other therapeutic programs already in place. The activity schedules are very easily integrated into existing therapies and school environments, greatly boosting their success. I've also implimented an advanced version of activity schedules, verbally explained, with my five-year-old typical daughter - as a result the morning 'dilly-dallies' and afternoon 'hum-drums' have all but disappeared.

I would recommend that existing image programs be used whenever possible, only to cut down on the time it takes to prepare the schedules. I use Flash! Pro2, which can be found online, though there are many other graphic programs that could be used as well. (As a webmaster I've found that many of the 'web-ready' image collections contained pictures that were appropriate for this program as well as ABA and DTT programs.)

All-in-all, excellent book, flexible program, expertly explained."
~ Written on 2003-06-17