Free Autism Printable Downloads
(This post was originally written in 2020)
Accessible Visual and Learning Resources for Autistic Children
Visual and structured learning resources can play a significant role in supporting Autistic children’s understanding, communication, and participation in everyday life. Carefully selected materials can enhance predictability, support emotional literacy, scaffold independence, and provide meaningful engagement through interests and play.
Below is a curated overview of widely used, openly available printable resources that support a range of developmental and educational needs. These resources may be useful across home, early years, and school contexts, and can be adapted to suit individual communication profiles and sensory preferences.
Daily Schedules and Predictability
Visual daily schedules support Autistic children by providing clarity, structure, and a sense of temporal predictability. Schedules can reduce anxiety, support transitions, and scaffold emerging independence by making expectations visible rather than verbally imposed.
Well-designed daily schedules can be introduced flexibly and adapted over time, reflecting changes in routine or capacity.
Suggested resources:
Kori at Home – Visual Schedules and Routine Supports
https://www.koriathome.comAnd Next Comes L – Visual Supports and Schedules
https://andnextcomesl.comDo2Learn – Schedule and Routine Visuals
https://do2learn.com
Supporting Responsibility and Daily Living Skills
Visual charts and responsibility supports can assist Autistic children in understanding daily living expectations in a concrete and non-confrontational way. These tools are most effective when used collaboratively rather than as compliance mechanisms.
Visual responsibility supports may include:
Getting dressed routines
Tidying personal items
Morning or evening sequences
When presented as neutral guides rather than behavioural controls, they can promote autonomy and reduce relational stress.
Suggested resources:
Kori at Home – Responsibility and Routine Charts
https://www.koriathome.comAutism Little Learners – Daily Living Visuals
https://autismlittlelearners.com
Emotional Literacy and Feelings Identification
Access to emotional language and visual representations of feelings is essential for supporting communication and self-understanding. Emotional literacy resources allow children to express internal experiences in ways that are accessible to them, particularly when spoken language is limited or unavailable during times of stress.
Emotion resources can support:
Identifying internal states
Communicating needs
Building shared understanding with adults
Suggested resources:
File Folder Heaven – Emotions and Feelings Activities
http://filefolderheaven.comThe Zones of Regulation (for reference and concepts)
https://zonesofregulation.comAnna Freud Centre – Emotional Wellbeing Resources
https://www.annafreud.org
Music, Songs, and Engagement Through Rhythm
Music and song-based resources can support regulation, connection, and shared enjoyment. Visual song books, in particular, combine rhythm, language, and visual structure, making them highly accessible for many Autistic children.
These resources can be especially useful during moments of dysregulation, transition, or when supporting shared interaction without direct demands.
Suggested resources:
PreKinders – Visual Song and Rhyme Books
https://www.prekinders.comSEN Teacher – Music and Communication Visuals
https://www.senteacher.org
Interest-Based Learning: LEGO and Construction Play
Interest-led resources acknowledge the motivational power of focused interests. LEGO-based visuals and printables can support fine motor skills, sequencing, turn-taking, and collaborative play when used flexibly.
These materials are most effective when they honour the child’s natural play style rather than attempting to direct or control it.
Suggested resources:
Free Math, Handwriting & Worksheets – LEGO-Based Activities
https://www.freemathhandwritingworksheets.comLEGO Therapy (conceptual reference)
https://www.legotherapy.com
Sorting, Matching, and Concept Development
Sorting and categorisation activities support cognitive development, pattern recognition, and conceptual understanding. These resources help children recognise that different items can belong to the same category, a foundational learning concept.
Visual sorting tasks can be adapted to align with interests, sensory preferences, or learning goals.
Suggested resources:
Autism Tank – Sorting and Matching Printables
https://autismtank.blogspot.comTwinkl – Sorting and Classification Resources
https://www.twinkl.ie
Matching Emotions and Visual Discrimination
Emotion matching activities can support recognition and differentiation of facial expressions and emotional states. These resources may be used as matching games, discussion prompts, or quiet tabletop activities, depending on the child’s preferences.
Flexibility in how these materials are used is key. Some children may prefer non-tactile formats, while others benefit from hands-on engagement.
Suggested resources:
Living Well Mom – Emotion Matching Activities
https://livingwellmom.comChild Mind Institute – Emotional Development Resources
https://childmind.org
When selecting and using visual or printable resources, it is important to prioritise:
Flexibility over rigidity
Collaboration over compliance
Understanding over performance
No single resource is universally appropriate. The value lies in how materials are introduced, adapted, and embedded within relationships that centre safety, respect, and autonomy.
