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Visual checklist

Full page: about 3 min Draft — not yet reviewed by a human

Summary

  • List a routine's steps in order and keep the checklist where the work happens to cue the next step.
  • Mark each step as it is completed; check the list between steps and gradually reduce reminders from others.

Ways to apply

  1. On your own

    Free, no special equipment to buy

    1. Choose a routine with easily missed steps; write its existing steps in order on paper or cards.
    2. Keep only that routine on the list and place it where the work happens, such as on a workbench.
    3. After each step, tick it off or turn over its card, then check the next step.
    4. Start with reminders to check the list, then fade them and see whether the routine needs prompts.

A routine’s checklist can stay where the work happens

Proposed in research

A research review on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) describes a specific setup: activities appeared on an iPad, with matching worksheets in a folder on the student’s desk(Thomas & Karuppali, 2022).

Adult routines could borrow this pairing of steps and materials by placing the checklist where the work happens.

Completion marks need to follow the action

Proposed in research

One routine described in the review closely linked putting away the current task, ticking it off and touching the next item. Completion was marked only after the action was actually finished(Thomas & Karuppali, 2022).

Checking the list takes practice before reminders fade

Proposed in research

Child studies taught participants to use activity schedules, adding verbal or physical prompts as needed. One case also recorded scheduled activity without teacher prompts(Thomas & Karuppali, 2022).

If a displayed checklist is still often skipped, checking it between steps can be practised before reminders from others are gradually reduced. The key observation is whether the list is used without prompts, beyond how noticeable it is.

Evidence

References (1)
  1. ReviewThe Efficacy of Visual Activity Schedule Intervention in Reducing Problem Behaviors in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Between the Age of 5 and 12 Years: A Systematic ReviewThomas, Karuppali (2022). Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry