The vocabulary of visual routines, explained plainly

AAC

Augmentative and alternative communication

The set of means that supplement or replace speech: pictograms, photos, signs, communication books, speech generating devices. AAC does not hold back spoken language, it provides a means of expression alongside it or instead of it.Methodology

ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

A neurodevelopmental condition marked by attention difficulties, impulsivity and sometimes motor restlessness. Day to day it often shows up as difficulty starting a task, sensing time and holding a sequence.For a child with ADHD

ASD

Autism spectrum disorder

A neurodevelopmental condition affecting communication and social interaction, accompanied by specific interests and a need for predictability. Visual supports are among the most common adjustments.For an autistic child

Emotion thermometer

A three or five level visual scale that lets someone locate the intensity of an emotion by showing it rather than naming it. Its main use is spotting the rise early enough to act.Emotions

Executive functions

The set of processes that allow someone to start a task, plan it, inhibit a distraction, hold several pieces of information in mind and adapt to change. They are exactly what a morning routine draws on.For a child with ADHD

Fading

Gradual withdrawal of support, in small stages, after several consecutive successes. Withdrawing too fast makes the step fail, withdrawing too late builds dependence on the adult.Printable resources

Fitzgerald colour code

A convention assigning a colour to each grammatical family: green for verbs and actions, orange for objects, pink for social words and emotions, and further shades for descriptors, time and places. It lets you recognise the kind of word before parsing the image.Printable pictograms

Neurodivergent

A non-medical term for cognitive functioning that differs from the statistical norm, without framing it as a defect. These words come from the people concerned, not from clinical vocabulary.Evotonomia+

PECS

Picture Exchange Communication System

A communication system based on exchanging images, where the person hands an image to their partner to make a request. It is an AAC practice distinct from a visual schedule, which organises time instead.

Positive reinforcement

Adding a pleasant consequence after a behaviour so that it happens again. A points system is one form of it. It does not suit every profile, particularly with performance anxiety, which is why it stays switchable in Evotonomia.

Prompting

Support given so a step can succeed: hand-over-hand help, pointing, a spoken instruction, mere presence. The aim is to withdraw it gradually, in that order, as the step becomes automatic.

Sensory overload

Saturation caused by an over-stimulating environment: noise, light, crowds, contact. It sharply reduces the resources available for a task, and can precede a meltdown without the task itself being the cause.Emotions

Specific learning disorders

A family of specific learning conditions: dyslexia for reading, dysorthographia for spelling, dyspraxia for coordinating movement, dyscalculia for number. They are lasting and unrelated to intelligence.For a child with learning disorders

Task analysis

Breaking an activity into observable, chained steps, from the first movement to the last. It is the basis of a visual routine: without it, a broad instruction asks the child to rebuild the sequence alone.Morning routine

TEACCH

An American programme that structures the environment to make it predictable: each place has a function, each moment has a visual support, each task has an identifiable beginning and end. Visual schedules are its most widely adopted element.Methodology

Time blindness

Difficulty sensing duration as it passes and locating events in time. It is common with ADHD and explains lateness and hard stops far better than any lack of willingness.Making time visible

Transition

Moving from one activity to another. It is the costliest moment of the day for many children, because something has to stop and what comes next has to be pictured. Announcing a transition makes it workable.For an autistic child

Visual sequence

A series of images showing the order of steps in an activity. It comes as a strip to display, cards to handle, or on screen. Its function is to replace the repeated instruction with information that can be consulted.Visual schedule

Visual timetable

A pictured representation of how half a day, a day or a week unfolds. Unlike a visual sequence, which describes one activity, it places activities in relation to one another.Visual schedule

Working memory

The ability to hold and manipulate information for a few seconds, long enough to use it. A displayed routine unloads working memory: the child consults instead of remembering.

These definitions aim for clarity for families. They do not replace the terminology of a professional report.