How to make your own picture schedule!!

Right after Alex was diagnosed with autism someone suggest I start doing a picture schedule with him.  I thought to myself, we really don't have a schedule so I doubt that is going to help any. Boy was I wrong!!!  I figured one day I would give it a try and just made a very simple one for bedtime using clip art.  All it had on it was clip art and a few words (that way if he was with his grandparents or someone they could use it with him too).  All I can say is WOW!!! The first night we used it was the first night he went to bed without a fight.  I was so amazed that I decided to try to come up with a way to make a more in depth schedule for him.  First thing was that the pictures were going to have to be removable since we don't do the same thing in the same order everyday.  Second was it had to be something he could use, eventually on his own.  Here is how I did his.....

What you will need:
-A board (even a big piece of cardboard will work). I got a 12 in x 16 in canvas panal from a craft store.
-Velcro cut into smaller pieces
-pictures (either real pictures or clip art, or pecs)
-scissors
-and a permanent marker

Start by making seven sections on your board, one for every day of the week, its better to make the sections vertical and add in about 5 velcro pieces underneath.  Here is what mine ended up looking like...

Next cut out the pictures, I ended up being able to print small photos that worked great....

And the last thing to do is just put the pictures in order of what you are doing that day.  It takes the kiddos a little while to learn to use a schedule but greatly reduces transitional meltdowns.  With Alex, it was like as long as he knew what to expect he did great!! His week day schedule was usually a picture of him with his morning therapist, then one of him at school, then one of him and his afternoon therapist, then whatever we did after that.  Now that Alex is 7 and can read, he just has a regular desk calander with everything written on it.  And I also had a pecs schedule for his morning and bed time routine that was just on a clip board (we also had a travel sized picture schedule for when we went on vacation, went to visit people over night, or anything like that.) Below is his morning/bedtime routine... 

And here is the first picture schedule I made for him using clip art!