Past Event Cards

This post will continue with my last two posts discussing strategies to use with students who have autism or difficulties communicating. This post will focus on past event cards. 

Sample Past Event Card

Many students with autism have difficulty relating past events. Using a visual representation can help to bridge this gap between events, especially between home and school. Teachers can create templates that can be easily circled or filled in each day and then sent home so they know what occurred.

For example, a card might say: Today I... read a book on ___________, made my lunch, watched a movie on _______. Only items completed would be circled.

The past event card reminded me of something that we use at my current work place. We fill out daily sheets to send home with the parents each day. This is because our students are very young and often forget what to say when parents ask what did you do today. The form has key points from lessons to enhance communication and inform parents on what occurred during the day.