Six-year-old Noah is a student with autism spectrum disorder who attends Ms. Wu's first-grade class. Ms. Wu has created a visual schedule to help him learn the daily classroom routine; however, Noah has difficulty when anything out of the ordinary happens. For an upcoming assembly, which strategy would likely be most effective for Noah to cope with this change in the schedule?

• A. Assigning Noah to sit with a peer who can model good behavior for him during the assembly
• B. Talking to Noah about the assembly well ahead of time and adding pictures to his visual schedule to illustrate the change
• C. Arranging for a paraprofessional to stay with Noah in the classroom during the assembly
• D. Providing a detailed verbal explanation on the day of the assembly only

Answer: (B)

Anticipation and concrete visual supports reduce anxiety for children with autism when routines shift. By talking to Noah well in advance and updating his visual schedule with pictures that illustrate the change, he gets a clear, concrete preview of what will happen at the assembly. This primes his expectations, helps him rehearse the sequence of events, and provides a reliable reference he can check, which makes the transition feel safer and more manageable.

The other options don’t address preparation for the change as effectively. Relying on a peer model supports behavior in the moment but doesn’t communicate the upcoming change or give Noah a visual cue for what will happen. Keeping a paraprofessional in the classroom during the assembly ashore reduces support elsewhere but doesn’t help Noah anticipate or understand the new setting. A detailed verbal explanation on the day of the event is often overwhelming and misses the visual, anticipatory element that aids processing for many autistic learners.