03 JUNE 2025
For neurodivergent children, leaving the house can feel overwhelming at times. This can be exacerbated when the day lacks structure or predictability. Without clear guidance, a daily trip can become a stressful experience. It is important to incorporate routines, set clear expectations, and offer consistent support. Faye Appleton, Assistant Psychologist from The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity, shares top tips to help your child transition out the home environment.
Visual schedules and predictability
Preparing for the day ahead is important to regulate emotions, reduce anxiety, and provide stability. Visual schedules can help provide predictability and help establish a routine. They can be used in different areas of the house for various tasks.
- In the bathroom, there could be a visual chart that outlines daily hygiene steps such as brushing teeth, washing hands, or using the toilet. This can help promote independence and maintain consistency.
- In the kitchen, a visual chart could include might include a timetable for meals or a weekly menu with pictures. This can help children predict mealtimes and reduce anxiety around food or routine changes.
The key to an effective visual schedule is clarity. It is important to use simple, clear images and keep the layout neat. You can adapt visual schedules to your child’s needs and update them as routines change.
Checklist with visuals
Visual planning tools can be helpful for neurodivergent children. It can help break down multiple-step instructions and make tasks more manageable. They can be used for various parts of the day. For example, morning, homework planning, and evening routines.
Examples of visual checklists include posters, charts, and digital tools. It can be helpful to let children tick off each task as this helps them visualise what is remaining. Visual checklists can also offer reward incentives such as stickers and small prizes to boost motivation. It is important that visual aids are engaging so use it as an opportunity to be creative.
Countdown routine with a timer
Using timers is an effective strategy to support children who may experience challenges with time perception. Children can find it difficult to estimate how long a task may take. Timers can help them better develop their time management skills and understand time better. They can also help facilitate smoother transitions and reduce anxiety.
Timers can be implemented in multiple ways to help with routine and can be used to aid focus levels. Timers are helpful during a morning routine to make sure that your child has time to get ready, eat breakfast, and be on time for school.
When implementing a homework routine, set a 15-20 minute timer, provide a break, and then continue with another timer. This breaks the task into more manageable chunks and provides breaks that can aid focus levels.
Use of a transitional object
Transitions can be challenging for neurodivergent children. Examples of daily transitions include: leaving parents before school, transitioning between lessons, or adjusting to changes in routine. These transitions often come with feelings of nerves, anxiety, and sensory overwhelm.
Transitional objects are items picked by a child, such as fidget toys, a favourite blanket, and keyrings. These items offer a sense of familiarity and comfort, especially when children are apart from their parents.
For neurodivergent children who may find change difficult or find it more difficult to self-regulate during moments of stress, these objects can play an important role. They provide consistency and a sense of comfort that helps ease the emotional impact of transitions. Having a transitional object can help reduce anxiety and build emotional resilience.
Enable a clear routine
Providing a clear routine can make the day more predictable and run more smoothly. For neurodiverse children, routines are often essential for managing anxiety, supporting focus, and easing transitions. Developing a routine also allows children to work on their independence skills. They will start to learn the routine and become more familiar with it. It can be helpful to implement a structured morning and night time routine to make transitioning out of the house smoother and promote good sleep hygiene.
Creating a sensory toolkit
Sensory travel bags can help entertain your child and also help to regulate their emotions. They can be useful in busy or overwhelming environments such as train stations, public transport, airports, shopping centres, and school playgrounds. Sensory tools such as fidget toys and noise-cancelling headphones can help manage anxiety, reduce sensory overload, and improve focus. You could also create the toolkit with your child so that they feel involved and can help select items that will benefit them the most.