Intensive Intervention Practice Guide - Using Visual Activity Schedules to Intensify Academic Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Oct 15, 2026

Practice Guide explains how Visual Activity Schedules (VAS) can intensify academic interventions for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who struggle with multistep tasks. It outlines what VAS are, who they are intended to support, and the mechanisms for improving performance through sequential visual organization, systematic prompting, and transition support. The guide also reviews the research knowledge base, practicality, and effectiveness, concluding with open questions, references, and related figures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

What Is It?

For Whom Is It Intended?

How Does It Work?

How Adequate Is the Research Knowledge Base?

How Practical Is It?

How Effective Is It?

What Questions Remain?

Where Can I Learn More?

References

Figure 1. Antonio’s Data for Writing a Sentence

Figure 2. Antonio’s VAS for Sentence-Writing

Figure 3. Monitoring Antonio’s Progress with the VAS

Figure 4. Using DBI to Develop and Teach the Use of Visual Activity Schedules

Intensive Intervention Practice Guide: Using Visual Activity Schedules to Intensify Academic Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Maria Lemler Hugh, University of Minnesota Carlin Conner, Southern Methodist University Jennifer Stewart, Southern Methodist University Using Visual Activity Schedules to Intensify Academic Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder | 2 This project was supported in part by Grant H325H140001 from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) . Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement by it should be inferred. This product is public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. Although permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, the citation should be: Hugh, M.L. , Conner, C. , & Stewart, J. (2018) . Practice Guide: Using Visual Activity Schedules to Intensify Academic Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Spring 2018 Using Visual Activity Schedules to Intensify Academic Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder | 3 Contents What Is It? .......................................................................................... 4 For Whom Is It Intended? .................................................................. 4 How Does It Work? ............................................................................ 4 How Adequate Is the Research Knowledge Base?........................... 8 How Practical Is It? ............................................................................ 9 How Effective Is It? ............................................................................ 10 What Questions Remain?.................................................................. 11 Where Can I Learn More? ................................................................ 11 References ......................................................................................... 11 Figure 1. Antonio’s Data for Writing a Sentence .............................. 14 Figure 2. Antonio’s VAS for Sentence-Writing................................... 15 Figure 3. Monitoring Antonio’s Progress with the VAS ..................... 16 Figure 4. Using DBI to Develop and Teach the Use of Visual Activity Schedules ................................................................... 17 Using Visual Activity Schedules to Intensify Academic Interventions for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder | 4 What Is It? Students who are slow to respond to traditional instruction and intervention require intensified intervention. Visual Activity Schedules (VAS) are an evidence-based type of visual support that provide sequential organization of the steps for an activity or skill (Bryan & Gast, 2000; Knight, Sartini & Spriggs, 2015; Koyama & Wang, 2011; Spriggs, Mims, van Dijk, & Knight, 2017; Wonget al. , 2014) . VAS can be aligned with individual student needs, including behavioral support. VAS have strong evidence of effectiveness, provide many opportunities to respond, and can be used by teachers during a wide array of classroom activities. For students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), VAS can be an effective method of intensifying intervention to support students’understanding of, and participation in, multistep activities that pose difficulty. For Whom Is It Intended? Researchers have demonstrated that VAS can be used successfully to support students with ASD in acquiring academic skills (Banda, Grimmett, & Hart, 2009; Bryan & Gast, 2000) . VASare useful for students who are having difficulty completing the steps of a task or activity. These students may benefit from visual organization of the steps taught through system

FAQs

What are Visual Activity Schedules (VAS)?

VAS are evidence-based visual supports that provide sequential organization of steps for an activity or skill. They can be aligned with individual student needs and used during a wide range of classroom activities.

Who is the guide intended for and who can benefit from VAS?

The guide targets young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who have difficulty completing steps of tasks or activities. VAS are especially useful for students who need support transitioning between steps and gaining independence in multistep academic activities.

How does the guide describe using VAS to intensify academic interventions?

It focuses on using VAS to intensify academic interventions, including for students receiving intervention within Tier III of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. It emphasizes using visual cues over time to remind students of activity steps and to support processing, executive functioning, communication, sequencing, and organization.

Oct 15, 2026

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