Activity schedule
A set of pictures or words that cues a person to complete a sequence of activities, taught so the person can follow it independently.
An activity schedule shows a series of activities in order, often as pictures in a binder (one per page) or as a written list for readers. The learner is taught to look at the first entry, get the materials, complete the activity, put things away, and move to the next entry. A preferred activity or reinforcer is often placed at the end. The main goals are independent engagement and smoother transitions without adults having to give each instruction.
Activity schedules are usually taught with prompts that are faded as quickly as possible, often physical guidance from behind, so the learner responds to the schedule rather than to the adult. Verbal prompts are usually avoided because they are hard to fade. Once the learner follows the schedule, the order and content of activities can be changed so the learner does not just memorize a fixed routine.
As an antecedent strategy, activity schedules reduce problem behavior linked to unpredictability or transitions, and they build skills for independent leisure, self-care and work. Their limits are that the schedule must be taught systematically and that it only helps if the activities are within the learner's skills.
The RBT sets up the schedule as designed, uses the prompts the plan specifies, fades them as directed, and records independent steps. Doing activities for the learner or reading the schedule aloud can create prompt dependence.
Example and non-example
| Example | A child's binder has photos of a puzzle, a shape sorter and a snack. The RBT guides from behind as the child turns the page, gets the puzzle, completes it and turns to the next page, fading guidance over sessions. |
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| Non-example | An RBT tells a child each next step aloud: "Now do the puzzle. Now get your snack." The child depends on spoken instructions, so no activity schedule is being followed. |
Don't confuse it with
| Visual schedule | A visual schedule is any visual display of upcoming events, while an activity schedule is a specific procedure for teaching independent completion of a sequence of activities. |
|---|---|
| Task analysis | A task analysis breaks one skill into steps, while an activity schedule sequences several separate activities. |
Test yourself
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Question 1A child's plan includes a strip of pictures showing the activities of the session in order. The child checks off each one as it is finished. Which antecedent strategy is this?
Show answer
C: Visual activity schedule. A visual activity schedule shows the sequence of upcoming activities in pictures or words, which makes the session more predictable.
- A: A token economy delivers tokens for target behavior that are exchanged for backup reinforcers.
- B: Demand fading changes the number of demands over time.
- D: A high-p sequence uses easy requests before a harder one.
Task D.2 · 40-hour curriculum section E
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Question 2At a vocational site, an adult uses a printed schedule of work tasks and checks off each one before starting the next. What is one benefit of this antecedent strategy?
Show answer
B: It makes upcoming tasks predictable. An activity schedule shows what comes next, which makes the day more predictable and can help the person move between tasks with fewer prompts from staff.
- A: A schedule comes before behavior; it is not a punisher.
- C: Activity schedules are used along with reinforcement, not instead of it.
- D: New job skills still need to be taught; the schedule organizes known tasks.
Task D.2 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Answer every question to see your score.
On the RBT exam
This term belongs to task D.2 Antecedent interventions in content area D, Behavior Reduction, which is 14 of the 75 scored questions.