Using a Now and Next Board with Autistic Children

When I started using a now & next board with my two boys, I thought it was just about helping them transition from one activity to the next. Whilst it is a fantastic tool to support transitions, I now see how much more it provides in terms of skills and communication development.

What is a Now & Next Board?

A Now and Next board is a fundamental way to communicate what’s happening around a transition for a young person. The board is a simple way to start teaching how to use a diary/routine or visual schedule. We all follow visual schedules throughout the day, most of us use calendars or diaries so we know what we are doing.

With the Now & Next board, we are just going back to the beginning stage, to teach the process of a schedule/calendar, but giving the information in a way that can be understood. It is stripping it right back down and just sharing what is happening now, and what is going to be happening next.

Later, as our children progress, you extend to Now, Next & Then. Followed by a morning or evening routine/schedule, then a daily, weekly, monthly and so on.

Why visuals matter

When you have communication differences, using visual aids is essential. So often I hear people say ‘visuals don’t work for me/my child,’ and it pains me. I really believe visuals work for everyone, and if something isn’t working, it’s about delivery, style and using the appropriate level, not about visual aids in general.

Everyone uses visual aids – calendars, text, emojis, shopping lists, road signs. It is about using the right visuals for the stage someone is at. With young children, we need simple pictures that are clear. As we get older, this becomes more complex, and we tend to use written text.

Anyone would find it stressful not knowing what is happening, where you are going, or what people are saying to you. Even when children begin to have verbal language, they may not have comprehension of what is being said. People process information at a different speed and in different ways. There are so many reasons why people benefit from visual aids.

The majority of people process pictures/visuals easily, which is why we use picture symbols on roads or for emergency exits as visuals are a quick and clear way to relay information.

So a visual aid is about communication, but it is also about reducing anxiety and providing information. If you know what is happening, when and how it is happening or understand what is expected of you, then you are more able to manage a situation than when you don’t have any of that information.

If you have a child with communication differences, especially those who are non-speaking, echolalic, have limited conversation or comprehension the most useful thing you can do to support them is use visual aids. I wasn’t as good at this in the early days, I get it, time and resources are rarely on our side as parents/ carers. It can also feel like you’re not getting anywhere /your child doesn’t understand, etc. This may well be the case at first, but I promise that over time, with consistency, they will engage and understand.

Distress & Meltdown reduction tool

Increasing use of visuals will often reduce distress levels for people. They can be a huge benefit if you are experiencing lots of distress/meltdowns/shutdowns. Not understanding or not having information can lead to increased anxiety, which builds up and can be very stressful for all involved. A Now and Next board is a great tool to help reduce meltdowns /distress.

Whenever we use visual pictures, it’s always ideal to include the written text next to it. This is so that we are sharing the text as well as the picture, this is particularly important for those who are learning to read because they’ll start to associate the written word with that particular thing. It is also really key to make sure that we are using pictures and visuals that are really clear. There is lots more information on visuals here.

How to use a Now & Next / First & Then Board

Now and Next boards are also referred to as First and Then boards or Now, Next and Then. As long as the language you use is consistent and shared across carers with the individual it won’t matter if you use Now/Next or First/Then or another choice.

A child’s age and stage of communication will depend on how much we’re teaching this process and how much it’s just providing the information that the person might need.

Timing Matters

If a child has developed communication/comprehension skills, then when using the board you will be sharing information with them. How they respond will likely be based on how they feel about what is being communicated.

For children with limited communication/comprehension you will be teaching them to understand a very basic schedule/ routine and it will take a while for them to understand the meanings of ‘now’ and ‘next’.

Think about when and how you start to use the Now and Next board. It should be a consistent information provider throughout your day. Please do not only use it after a child is already distressed – this is the worst time to be overloading them with more information. So often people only bring out the visuals/supports after a child is distressed. If you use visuals consistently, it can help avoid getting to that point of overwhelm. You want to be strategically providing information in advance, it should be integrated into the daily routine. In schools / nursery’s / clubs it should be provided for the whole group as it will be beneficial to many for different reasons. It is even beneficial in the workplace – just like you would have a Agenda/ timeline / schedule for a conference or meeting.

I imagine many young children react negatively to being told something they don’t want to do. If you first use a Now and Next board to tell someone they are having their nails cut / washing their hair you may get the board thrown or torn up. This would be a reaction to the information provided not the tool used to provide the information. When you are just starting to introduce Now & Next start with activities a child may enjoy, such as Now Story Time & Next Garden.

Paper / Board or Digital?

When you are starting out I would recommend having a paper, plastic or card Now and Next boards. You can buy them but it is easy enough to use a mini whiteboard or laminated paper with velcro. You can get digital apps or just show using google images on your phone. Personally, I would probably wait until your child is familiar with the now and next process or old enough not want to grab any phone/tablet presented before doing it digitally.

All you need is two icons next to each other with one saying Now (the activity you are about to do) and the other saying Next (the activity that will follow).

Below you can see how we use a white board to show now and next when doing Attention Autism.

Using the Now and Next Board

Before you start your activity show the board to the child. Point to the activity under Now and say ‘now drawing’ then point to the next activity and say ‘next snack’. Always use simple clear language and the same vocabulary and use emphasis on the words now and next. This will make it clear and easier to follow, over time the child will understand what now and next means if they don’t already.

Once you have completed the now activity, you can either remove it or cross it out whilst saying ‘drawing finished, now snack’. The key here is being very clear, using simple language and visuals and using the board consistently.

Often when familar with Now and Next, children will get more involved, wanting to take off / add activities or saying ‘now’ ‘next’ ‘finished’ etc.

You may need to use some additional rewards if you are struggling to implement the board. However if you are using activities your child enjoys for the next activity that should be reward enough. Garden, iPad bubbles, chocolate and TV are usually good ones to start out with.

Where to get a Now & Next Board

You will need some picture/icons or photos to use on your board. It is very easy to make up your own cards. A simple board will be printed out on paper or card, laminated with velcro to stick your pictures on. If you are good at drawing a white board may be easier.

If you have access to Twinkl, or Widgit they have ready-to-use Now & Next printables with pictures etc. Below is a basic free printable template.

Free Printable Now and Next Board

If you like to draw a whiteboard makes an easy option but you can also buy kits. Please note the links below are affiliate links, if you click on them and make a purchase I will get a commission however, this is at no additional cost to you and does support maintenance of this website.

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Free online Now & Next Board

Check out my free digital Now and Next board – it is very basic but a good starting point.

Click here for the free digital Now & Next board.

Who would benefit from a Now & Next board?

Any child that struggles with transition – moving from one activity to another will really benefit from this. Children who have communication or attention difficulties will find it really helpful to understand what is happening.

Once a child is used to using the visuals they can really help for activities a child doesn’t want to do. For example you can show that after a ‘haircut’ they will get a treat i.e. Now Haircut Next Milkshake. This can help when we are wanting to reward a child for activities we know are difficult as we can communicate the reward in advance.

The board is a great tool / support for most autistic children who are often very visual and can be good with clear routines.

Expanding Sequencing Now, Next, Then & Moving to Visual Schedules

Once you have mastered the now and next board you can increase the schedule. At first you may just want to add in Then so the board is Now, Next and Then. So expanding by one step.

After this we moved to using a simple strip in a pencil case (pictured below) that would show 3-4 activities. I found this useful when we were going out and still use it now.

I now have several schedules that we use. A weekly schedule is particularly good when a child is going to different places each day. I would have a separate weekly schedule that simply shows the days of the week and where they will be e.g. home, school or granny’s house. You can also use play schedules for play therapy.

The PECS schedule kit gets used regularly in our house.

We also now use a monthly schedule created using Widgit Online.

The Tiimo app and web calendar is great for setting out your week and having a visual schedule on your phone. Having a schedule on your phone makes it much easier to use outside of the house. This also helps with a child who struggles with an adult telling them to move from one activity to the next as the app will do that for you.

Have you tried a now & next board? Do you use any visual schedules?