Fix face
Cold water on the skin, a damp cloth and your own face in the mirror first thing are not always welcome. The pictures below make each move predictable so the face can be tidied without a struggle.
♂Face
A smiling boy points to his cheeks with his index fingers.
About this visual support
Washing against the skin can feel sharp, the water is cold, and meeting your own reflection during a sluggish morning rarely sparks any wish to fiddle with your face. For a child who is sensitive to touch and temperature, this is not an obvious routine but something to wriggle out of, especially when everything has to happen fast before the day begins.
With visual support, the child knows in advance exactly what is coming: wetting the cloth, wiping around the mouth, perhaps smoothing the fringe. When each move shows up as a picture, there are no unpleasant surprises, and the child can brace for the sensation before the cloth meets skin. Predictability takes the edge off resistance, because discomfort you saw coming is easier to bear.
One concrete tip: let the child touch the damp cloth with their hands first, so the temperature does not shock the face. Many children on the autism spectrum react more to the unexpected than to the sensation itself. In the Routined app you can build the morning face routine with your own pictures and let the child follow the steps at their own pace by the mirror.