Behavioral Analyst, Haden Hunt, explains the antecedent strategy of using a visual timer when working with low-functioning autistic individuals and shares real life examples of how to put this strategy to practice.
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How Visual Timers Can Help Manage Transitions and Expectations: A Story of Positive Behavior Change at Autism Labs
At Autism Labs, we are always looking for effective ways to set individuals up for success, especially when it comes to managing behavior. One of the most valuable tools we use is an antecedent strategy—proactive measures that help guide behavior before it occurs. By setting clear expectations and preparing individuals in advance, we can create an environment where they feel more in control, reducing frustration and promoting positive behavior. Today, I want to tell you a story about how visual timers, as part of our antecedent strategies, have helped an individual named Michael thrive, giving him the clarity and structure he needs to manage transitions and wait for rewards.
Understanding Antecedent Strategies
Before we dive into Michael’s story, let’s take a step back and understand what antecedent strategies are. In simple terms, they are proactive measures we take to prevent challenging behavior before it even starts. The goal isn’t to punish undesirable behavior; instead, we focus on guiding the individual toward the behaviors we want to see. For those with autism, many challenging behaviors arise during transitions—like moving from one activity to another—or when expectations are unclear.
Antecedent strategies can include things like providing clear visual or verbal cues, creating structured routines, or manipulating the environment to help individuals succeed. This proactive approach helps reduce anxiety, increases predictability, and supports positive behavior.
The Challenge of Time and Waiting
For Michael, one of the most significant challenges was understanding time. Like many individuals with autism, he struggled with abstract concepts such as time, waiting, or understanding when an activity would end. These challenges often led to frustration, especially when it came to waiting for rewards, like his parents’ attention or a snack.
This is where visual timers came in to play a pivotal role. Visual timers are a type of antecedent strategy that helps make time more tangible. Instead of asking Michael to wait for a certain amount of time without much context, the visual timer gives him a concrete way to see and hear how much time is left before his reward is available.
How Visual Timers Work
Visual timers work by offering a visual representation of time passing. For Michael, we use a pie chart or countdown bar that shows how much time remains until he receives a desired reward. As time ticks down, Michael can see the chart shrinking, giving him a better understanding of when something desirable will happen.
To make it even more effective, the visual timer also includes color changes as time progresses. This gives Michael an additional cue that time is moving, signaling that the end is near. The audible ticking sound is another layer of clarity—it reinforces the visual changes, so even if Michael isn’t focused on the timer itself, he knows that the countdown is happening.
Why Visual Timers Work for Michael
For Michael, the beauty of the visual timer is its ability to make the abstract concept of time more concrete. By giving him a way to see and hear time passing, the timer helps him better manage his expectations. For example, when Michael is asked to engage in a task like independent play, the timer shows him exactly when he will receive a reward, such as a snack or social attention.
Without the timer, Michael might become anxious or frustrated, not knowing when the waiting period would end. But with the visual timer, he can focus more on the activity at hand, knowing that the end of the waiting period is approaching and that something rewarding will happen soon. This clarity helps reduce his frustration and makes the experience more manageable.
The Power of Pausing the Timer
One of the most powerful features of the visual timer is its ability to pause. This feature has proven incredibly helpful when Michael engages in inappropriate behaviors. For example, if Michael starts acting out during the waiting period, the timer can be paused, signaling that his behavior is affecting the expected timeline for reinforcement.
The pause serves as immediate feedback for Michael: his behavior impacts the reward. When he engages in positive behavior, the timer resumes, and the countdown continues. If his behavior is inappropriate, the timer remains paused, reinforcing the idea that he must wait longer for the reward. This feedback loop helps Michael understand the connection between his actions and the availability of reinforcement.
The Role of Social Attention and Positive Reinforcement
Visual timers don’t work in isolation. They are paired with social attention and positive reinforcement, which play a crucial role in maintaining engagement during the waiting period. For Michael, his team uses the visual timer to help him wait for rewards, but they also provide him with social attention during that time. Verbal praise, conversation, or even just simple eye contact can help keep him calm and focused while the timer is running.
This social attention reinforces the idea that waiting doesn’t just lead to a reward—it also makes the waiting time more enjoyable and productive. By staying engaged and showing appropriate behaviors, Michael is rewarded with positive interactions, which motivates him to wait more patiently.
How You Can Use Visual Timers at Home
If you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver, you can use visual timers to support individuals with autism in your own home or classroom. Here’s how you can start:
- Introduce the Timer Gradually: Begin by explaining what the timer does. Show your child how the visual representation changes and how the ticking sound works. Let them become familiar with the tool before you start using it in structured activities.
- Pair the Timer with Rewards: Use the visual timer to create waiting periods for rewards. For instance, you might say, “You can play with your toy for 10 minutes, and then we’ll have snack time.” Set the timer, and let your child see when snack time is coming.
- Use the Pause Function for Behavior: If your child starts showing inappropriate behaviors, pause the timer. This gives immediate feedback that their actions affect the reward. Once the behavior improves, resume the timer.
Transcript
Hey, guys, it’s Haden with Autism Labs, and today we’re going to be talking about antecedent strategies that we use with Michael’s program. Antecedent strategies are strategies that you use before behavior occurs to promote appropriate behaviors and decrease the likelihood of inappropriate behaviors from occurring in the future. Hope you enjoy.
Antecedent Strategy : The Visual Timer
The visual timer signals to Michael when reinforcement or something that Michael likes is available. So if we are expecting Michael to be engaging in an independent leisure activity, and then he can have his mom and dad’s attention or a snack, the visual timer helps Michael know when that’s going to be available. Another big piece of this, which I think people don’t think about very often, or at least we didn’t think about it, was that if you’re setting a timer for five or 10 minutes, one, the numbers mean nothing to Michael. It’s hard for him to understand seconds, minutes and time in general. And so the visual timer is more of a pie chart that shows ticking down and it changes colors as it gets closer to the finish.
And what’s also helpful is that the visual timer we use also has a ticking audible piece to it so that Michael knows when it’s actually going. So if we have a ten minute duration that Michael is waiting for reinforcement, it’s hard for him to see the actual pie chart moving. But if he hears the ticking, then he knows that the visual timer is going. And maybe he starts engaging in inappropriate behaviors, and so we’re going to pause that visual timer. Well, the ticking stops too, and so it’s more clear for him to know what his expectations are.
Example of using a visual timer
“Tell me one more thing you did with Marion. ‘Speech’ Cool! Look, that’s super cool, man. Nice. So listen, thanks for talking with me. It’s time for Marion and Parker and I to talk. And we’re going to talk for 3 minutes while you listen to your headphones. The timer can keep going as long as you’re listening to your headphones and keeping your hands to yourself. And then we can do something together. Okay?”
“Sounds good. You can say…What can you say? Okay! Sounds good man.”
“That’s another one of activities where regardless of if you might think it’s highly preferred or not preferred, you’re giving him that social attention right there. You’re giving him that social attention regardless. And so he’s enjoying whatever that activity might be. That was perfect. Did you notice how to pause the timer? And we continued our conversation.”
“Hey, Michael. Nice job, dude. Thanks for waiting so nicely. You did awesome! We are finished talking.”
We hope that you enjoyed this video and that you can use some of these strategies at home with and for the individuals that you care for. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave it in the comment section below. Thanks.
