Housing and transition services for Neurodiverse and Autistic individuals is growing! For parents of students who might need a structured post-high school residence, we wanted to share a potential weekly schedule that mirrors what many transition programs follow. This schedule shares a mix of our experiences as well as online examples. It is meant to be flexible depending on each individual’s needs, and provides a framework for building skills in young adults.
Monday-Friday
7:00 Rise from bed
7:00-7:45 Personal hygiene in bathroom, clean up bedroom, make your bed, eat breakfast in kitchen/dining area, clean up kitchen after using it
7:45 Group check-ins regarding the day
8:00-12:00 Travel to/and attend school, work, volunteering, recreation, or community activity
12:00-12:30 Lunch at school, work, residence, or in the community
12:30-5:00 Attend school, work, volunteering, recreation, or community activity
5:00-5:30 Travel back to residence or to community dining
5:30 Dinner at residence or in the community
6:00 Clean up from dinner, complete assigned dinner/kitchen/cleaning chores
6:30 Evening Group–personal check-ins on how the day went, community chore review, positive feedback for peers and self, discuss the upcoming day, events, and concerns
7:15 Evening time–Laundry, hobbies, group movie time, grocery shopping, finishing chores
9:15 Tranquil time prior to bed–quiet reading, listening to music in headphones, calm talk with peers
10:00 In bedroom
10:30 Lights out in bedrooms, sleep
Saturday
7:00 Rise from bed
7:00-7:45 Personal hygiene in bathroom, clean up bedroom, make your bed, eat breakfast in kitchen/dining area, clean up kitchen after using it
7:45 Group check-ins regarding the day
8:00-12:00 Group Skill Learning–staff teaches and models hygiene, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking for a few days ahead (leftovers, freezing food for later), life skills, social skills, executive functioning skills. Can be onsite or in the community.
12:00 Lunch
12:45-5:00 Afternoon Group Options–Religious Services, independent and staff-led options at gym or outside
5:30 Dinner at residence or in the community
6:00 Clean up from dinner, complete assigned dinner/kitchen/cleaning chores
6:30 Evening Group–personal check-ins on how the day went, community chore review, positive feedback for peers and self, discuss the upcoming day, events, and concerns
7:15 Saturday On The Town activity–Movie, museum, concert, community event, festival, party
11:30 Back at residences, Tranquil time prior to bed–quiet reading, listening to music in headphones, calm talk with peers
12:00 Midnight–Lights out in bedrooms, sleep
Sunday
9:00 Rise from bed
9:00-10:00 Personal hygiene in bathroom, clean up bedroom, make your bed, eat breakfast in kitchen/dining area, clean up kitchen after using it
10:00-12:00 Religious Services, recreation, library time, independent time, laundry
12:00 Lunch at residence or in the community
1:00 Deep clean of bathroom, kitchen, yard, bedroom, community space, garage, storage areas, bathroom/cleaning supplies inventory, grocery plan for the week, make a shopping list for the week ahead, laundry
2:30 Grocery and hygiene shopping for the week, laundry
4:00-5:30 Personal finance, independent living skill, social skill, or executive functioning skill lesson at residence or in the community
5:30 Dinner at residence or in the community
6:00 Clean up from dinner, complete assigned dinner/kitchen/cleaning chores
6:30 Evening Group–personal check-ins on how the day went, community chore review, positive feedback for peers and self, discuss the upcoming day, events, and concerns
7:15 Evening time–Laundry, hobbies, group movie time, grocery shopping, finishing chores
9:15 Tranquil time prior to bed–quiet reading, listening to music in headphones, calm talk with peers
10:00 In bedroom
10:30 Lights out in bedrooms, sleep
Strategies for Finding Schedule Examples Online:
Search the following: residential treatment program daily schedule, drug and alcohol rehab daily schedule, a day in the life at rehab, young adult support daily schedule.
We reviewed different schedules for a variety of populations (Autism, special needs, substance rehab) prior to designing this schedule. Finding ways to customize a schedule is easier when you look at different group needs and how those needs are addressed in the weekly schedule.
A few things to consider:
1. The weekend is the weekend–yes, skill building still occurs and structure is important, but there are benefits of having a sleep-in day each week to help the body relax and the brain recharge.
2. What about having more downtime? That’s an option depending on the population being served. Can the residents fill this time with healthy options? Or will this end up being 8 hours of smartphone use, social media, online porn, etc…
3. Life has time limits. A start and end time to an activity or routine helps Autistic students with parameters. This provides a framework for Autistic or Neurodiverse individuals to organize, plan, and execute activities within the day. The opposite of this would be an open ended day where students might struggle filling time appropriately, especially if they are younger adults (18-21) or need more of a scaffolding approach in which to build independent skills.
4. Schedules are a tool. In the Autism world, many students struggle with the skills of planning, organizing, initiating, and following through. A weekly schedule gives the Neurodiverse individual structure and helps front-load their week, which makes it easier to manage and navigate (not just for a resident in a program but also for the staff!). The schedule in this post can be used by any program, but it can also be adapted to fit a family’s lifestyle, preferences, and values, depending on what the parents of a Neurodiverse individual choose.
Best of luck and keep building skills in our wonderful Autistic and Neurodiverse individuals!