Hug
The same hug can be the best thing all day or something to escape, depending on how the body feels right then. That it usually happens without warning makes the difference larger. The pictures below let the child show what fits before the arms are already there.
♂Hug
Two people hug each other.
♀Hug
An adult hugs a child.
About this visual support
Touch is not one experience but several, and which one it becomes depends on the day, the context and how much the body has already taken in. A hug after a long school day can be comfort, while exactly the same hug after a chaotic dinner can be too much. For children with clear sensory sensitivity the variation is even wider, and it rarely shows until the reaction arrives.
Visual support makes the choice possible without needing words. One picture for a hug, one for a high five and one for simply sitting nearby offers three ways of being close. Being able to point instead of saying no makes it easier to decline without it feeling like rejection.
A concrete tip is to ask beforehand rather than afterwards, and to let the answer count even when it is no. A no that is respected makes the next yes easier. In Routined the options can exist as pictures in the evening routine, and the app can be tried for fourteen days at no cost.
Use this image in a schedule
Build your own visual schedule with this image and download it as a print-ready PDF. Completely free.
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Take the visual supports with you
In Routined you build schedules from these pictures, add timers and voice instructions, and your child follows the day on their own.
* 14-day free trial included for new users.