BEAT IT BRIGHT MINDS

Learning and independence workbook

12 original learning sequences, from everyday foundations to school independence and college preparation.

Choose a meaningful goal with the learner. Point, draw, type, speak, demonstrate or use a usual communication tool. Practise with fictional examples, change the support when needed and take breaks freely.

To keep a paper or PDF copy, use your browser’s Print command and choose a printer or Save as PDF. All explanations and worked answers are included here. This is optional practice, with no completion score or academic credit.

Choose a learning goal

  1. Ask for help in your own way
  2. Choose a break and return
  3. Tell a picture story
  4. Connect a number with a set
  5. Make a visible task plan
  6. Practise a message to a teacher
  7. Keep personal information private
  8. Use a small time plan
  9. Describe a learning preference
  10. Compare different next-step pathways
  11. Plan a study week with supports
  12. Prepare an evidence-based portfolio

LEARNING SEQUENCE 1 OF 12

Ask for help in your own way

Goal: Communicate a specific help request and decide whether the response meets your need.

Prepare

1. Understand

Help can mean different things: explain one step, find an item, enlarge a picture, or work together. You can show the task and the help you want without explaining a diagnosis.

The helper checks the request instead of taking over. You can accept the offer, ask for a different kind of help, or stop. A reply such as “show me one step” keeps your choice visible.

2. Worked example

Sam is making a paper map. The next instruction says “add a key.” Sam points to the instruction and selects “explain this word.” The helper shows a map key and asks whether Sam wants to try one symbol or see another example. Sam chooses one symbol and continues.

Practise together

  1. Choose a fictional task with one unclear step.
  2. Indicate the unclear part and the type of help you want.
  3. Have the helper offer that support; accept it or ask for a change.

3. Practise a changed situation

The helper starts completing your whole project, but you wanted only one example. What could you communicate?

  1. Please show one example, then let me try.
  2. Agree that asking for help means giving up all choices.

Answer: A. A request for one example makes the preferred amount of help clear. The helper should respect the learner’s choice and leave time for a response.

4. Use it in real life

Choose a different familiar task. Show a helper what is unclear and how they could help. You can use pictures, a demonstration, typing or your communication tool.

Review together

Change one thing

Try a helper who has not seen the signal before. Decide whether a picture label or explanation would make its meaning clearer.

Helper note: Agree on a help signal before practice. Model one request, then allow time. Do not make access to help depend on speech, eye contact or a correct answer.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 2 OF 12

Choose a break and return

Goal: Choose a pause and preserve a clear place to return without making the break a reward.

Prepare

1. Understand

A break can change the activity, environment or amount of input. The learner can choose a quiet pause, movement, a different task, or stopping; do not assume the same option is comfortable for everyone.

A return cue records where you stopped, such as “next: add a title.” It is an invitation to resume, not a countdown. Discuss a different plan if returning is not helpful.

2. Worked example

Lee is halfway through a picture story and requests a pause. A helper leaves a note: “Next: choose the ending picture.” After the pause Lee chooses to finish the story with drawings instead of photographs. The goal stays telling a clear ending; the method changes.

Practise together

  1. Start a short chosen activity.
  2. Practise the break signal; leave a now/next cue.
  3. Choose to return, change the method, or make a different plan.

3. Practise a changed situation

After a pause, the original picture activity still feels uncomfortable. Which response preserves choice?

  1. Require the same activity before any more breaks.
  2. Discuss a different method or stop and choose a later plan.

Answer: B. A pause does not remove the learner’s ability to change the plan. The helper can clarify the goal and offer suitable alternatives.

4. Use it in real life

Make a return cue for a fictional unfinished task. Show how someone could use it after a pause without repeating the whole activity.

Review together

Change one thing

Try returning on a different day. Is the cue clear enough without the helper explaining everything again?

Helper note: Respond to the break signal promptly. Ask what helps; do not prescribe a sensory activity or use the break as a reward for compliance.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 3 OF 12

Tell a picture story

Goal: Connect a beginning, a change and an ending so another person can follow the intended meaning.

Prepare

1. Understand

A sequence shows an order, but a story also shows what changes. A connector can explain why one picture follows another: a person has a problem, tries something, and notices a result.

The viewer’s interpretation is useful feedback. If it differs from your intended story, add a detail or connector rather than treating the viewer’s interpretation as a failure. The story may be fictional.

2. Worked example

Ari draws an empty plant pot, a seed going into soil, and a small plant. A viewer asks where the water came from. Ari adds a watering picture between planting and growing, then points to the sun. The revised sequence makes the change easier to understand.

Practise together

  1. Choose a character, object or place and a starting picture.
  2. Add a picture showing a change and one showing a result.
  3. Ask a viewer to show what happened; revise one unclear connection.

3. Practise a changed situation

Your story jumps from an unopened box to a finished toy. What could make the sequence clearer?

  1. Add a picture showing the box opened and the toy being assembled.
  2. Add an unrelated ending without showing the change.

Answer: A. The connecting picture supplies missing information between the starting situation and the result.

4. Use it in real life

Create a three- or four-picture fictional story about finding a missing item. Tell it in your preferred way and ask someone to identify the change.

Review together

Change one thing

Tell the story to someone who did not watch you create it. Use their questions to make one revision.

Helper note: Use age-respectful pictures chosen with the learner. Accept pointing, drawing, AAC or words; do not require a spoken performance or personal story.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 4 OF 12

Connect a number with a set

Goal: Count each object once and connect the final count with the quantity, including zero.

Prepare

1. Understand

Touch, point to, or move one object for each count word or mark. Separate counted objects if it helps. The last count tells how many are in the whole set, not only the last object.

Moving the objects into a new arrangement does not add or remove any. Count again to check. An empty set has zero objects; there is no first object to count.

2. Worked example

Nia has five paper squares. Nia moves each square into a “counted” space while counting one through five. A helper spreads the same five squares into a longer row. Nia checks that none were added or removed: the quantity is still five.

Practise together

  1. Choose a small quantity; use zero if you want to explore an empty set.
  2. Count each item once with a mark, touch or move.
  3. Rearrange the items, then check whether the quantity changed.

3. Practise a changed situation

There are six counters. One is removed. How many remain?

  1. Six, because the counters were only rearranged.
  2. Five, because one counter left the set.

Answer: B. Removing one from six leaves five. Unlike rearranging, removing changes the number of objects.

4. Use it in real life

Make two sets with the same quantity using different safe objects. Show how you know they match by pairing or counting. Then remove one item from one set and compare again.

Review together

Change one thing

Show the same quantity in a ten-frame and a scattered group. Explain or demonstrate what stays the same.

Helper note: Start with a manageable set chosen with the learner, regardless of age. Use large safe items; small loose objects can be unsuitable for some learners. Dot layouts here are original, not a branded touch-point method.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 5 OF 12

Make a visible task plan

Goal: Create a plan with one clear next action and an observable finish.

Prepare

1. Understand

A useful plan names actions you can do: “open the notebook” is clearer than “get ready.” Keep details available separately if showing every step at once feels crowded.

A finish cue describes the result, such as a labelled diagram with three parts. Compare the result with the goal and revise the plan when materials, instructions or needs change.

2. Worked example

Jo wants to prepare a pretend science notebook. Now: open the notebook. Next: add a title and date. Finish: one page has a title, date and space for a drawing. When the pen does not work, Jo changes the next action to choosing another pen.

Practise together

  1. Choose one task and describe a visible finish.
  2. Write or picture the current action and one next action.
  3. Try the current action; update the plan when something changes.

3. Practise a changed situation

Your next step says “finish everything,” but you do not know what to do first. What would help?

  1. Replace it with one action, such as “add the diagram title.”
  2. Repeat the same unclear instruction more loudly.

Answer: A. A specific action provides a starting point and makes it possible to check whether that step was done.

4. Use it in real life

Make a plan for preparing a fictional project folder: choose a name, add one file, and check that it opens. Use pictures or text to show now, next and finish.

Review together

Change one thing

Remove one available material from the pretend setup. Revise the plan rather than expecting the original steps to work unchanged.

Helper note: Ask the learner what each symbol means to them. Reduce visible detail if useful, and avoid completing the task on their behalf unless they request that support.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 6 OF 12

Practise a message to a teacher

Goal: Describe a fictional access barrier and ask for one specific change using a suitable channel.

Prepare

1. Understand

A clear request can name the task, describe the barrier, and suggest a change. “The chart text is too small; could I have a larger copy?” gives the recipient something concrete to respond to.

Review what the recipient needs to know. A practice request does not need private school records, passwords or diagnosis information. For real requests, use the school’s appropriate channel with support if needed.

2. Worked example

Taylor has a fictional homework chart with tiny labels. The draft says: “I can read the instructions but not the chart labels. Could I have a larger chart or a text version?” A helper checks that the request identifies the actual barrier before any real message is considered.

Practise together

  1. Choose a fictional task and one barrier.
  2. Draft a request naming a possible helpful change.
  3. Review clarity and privacy; keep this exercise as a draft.

3. Practise a changed situation

Which detail is unnecessary in a public practice request about a small chart?

  1. The fact that the labels are hard to read.
  2. A real password for the school account.

Answer: B. The size of the chart labels explains the barrier. A real password must not be included; it does not help someone understand the requested change.

4. Use it in real life

Draft a second fictional request about instructions that are only spoken. Ask for a written or pictured version in your preferred communication format.

Review together

Change one thing

Imagine the teacher offers an alternative that does not solve the barrier. Draft a brief follow-up explaining what is still unclear.

Helper note: Support the learner’s own wording. This page sends no message; do not ask the learner to enter contact details, diagnosis documents or account credentials.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 7 OF 12

Keep personal information private

Goal: Review a practice project for identifying information and replace details that are not needed.

Prepare

1. Understand

Privacy checks include words and pictures. A screenshot may reveal a username, notifications, open tabs or another person’s information even if the main project uses a fictional name.

Use synthetic details that do not correspond to a real person. Removing visible private text is safer than drawing a transparent highlight over it. Review the final shared copy, not just the editing view.

2. Worked example

Casey makes a pretend app profile. The app uses “Sample Learner,” but the screenshot includes an account email in the corner. Casey captures a new screenshot from a fictional demo view and checks the whole image before sharing it.

Practise together

  1. Review a fictional example for names, passwords, contact details and identifying pictures.
  2. Replace unnecessary details with clear placeholders.
  3. Check the final image and notes before sharing with a chosen reviewer.

3. Practise a changed situation

The project text is fictional, but a screenshot shows a real account email. What should happen?

  1. Create a safe copy without the real email before sharing.
  2. Share it because only the main project text matters.

Answer: A. The whole shared artifact can reveal information. A fictional main example does not make account details elsewhere in the image safe to publish.

4. Use it in real life

On paper, design a pretend profile with a fictional display name and no contact information. Label which fields are necessary for demonstrating the task and which can be left out.

Review together

Change one thing

Add a pretend notification to the example. Show why it also belongs in the privacy review.

Helper note: Use prepared synthetic examples. Do not ask learners to display their real accounts or search for their own private records as part of this exercise.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 8 OF 12

Use a small time plan

Goal: Estimate a task, include setup and breaks, and revise the plan using what actually happened.

Prepare

1. Understand

An estimate helps arrange work; it is not a test of speed. Notice separate parts such as getting materials, trying the task, checking the result and taking a chosen break.

When the task takes longer than expected, ask what changed. You may need a different estimate, fewer steps, clearer instructions or an alternative method. Keep the learner involved in that decision.

2. Worked example

Morgan estimates ten minutes for a model: two to gather materials, six to build and two to check. Finding a missing piece takes extra time. Morgan adds setup time to the next plan and chooses to pause before checking the result.

Practise together

  1. Choose a task and separate setup, doing and checking.
  2. Make a flexible estimate and include chosen pauses.
  3. Compare the plan with the experience and change one estimate or step.

3. Practise a changed situation

A task needs fifteen minutes of work and five minutes of setup. Before any break, how much time should the plan allow?

  1. Fifteen minutes, because setup does not count.
  2. Twenty minutes: setup and work both take time.

Answer: B. Fifteen plus five is twenty. A chosen break or extra transition time would need additional space in the plan.

4. Use it in real life

Plan a fictional twenty-minute work session with five minutes of setup, ten minutes of activity and five minutes of checking. Explain where a break could fit by extending or changing the plan.

Review together

Change one thing

Imagine setup takes eight minutes instead of five. Decide which part of the plan changes and explain why.

Helper note: Do not turn the estimate into a forced countdown. Use observation to discuss planning, rather than ranking learners by speed.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 9 OF 12

Describe a learning preference

Goal: Explain a fictional learning barrier and prepare questions for an institution’s access-request process.

Prepare

1. Understand

A preference describes what helps with a particular task: a readable diagram, written instructions, a quieter work location or a different communication format. A useful explanation connects the support with the barrier.

A school plan does not automatically establish a college arrangement. Read the institution’s current process and ask its disability-service office about requests and documentation. This exercise practises questions; it does not decide eligibility.

2. Worked example

Alex can follow a lab demonstration but loses the sequence when several instructions are spoken together. Alex prepares: “Written steps help me check the order. What is the process for discussing an accessible version?” Alex checks the college’s official instructions before making an individual request.

Practise together

  1. Choose one fictional college task and identify the barrier.
  2. Describe one support and how it could help.
  3. Prepare a process question for the appropriate office without sharing private documents here.

3. Practise a changed situation

An official request form asks for documentation. Where should the learner clarify what is needed?

  1. With the institution’s disability-service office through its official process.
  2. By uploading private documents to a public practice activity.

Answer: A. The institution can explain its own process and secure submission method. A public learning activity is not the place for private documentation.

4. Use it in real life

Prepare a fictional request about a diagram that is difficult to interpret. State the barrier, a possible alternative and a question about the next step in the institution’s process.

Review together

Change one thing

Compare two institutions’ public contact and request instructions. Record a difference as a question to clarify, not as an assumption about eligibility.

Helper note: Keep the learner in control of what they disclose. Help with finding official instructions without promising that a particular adjustment will be granted.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 10 OF 12

Compare different next-step pathways

Goal: Compare two fictional pathways using the learner’s goals and concrete program information.

Prepare

1. Understand

Start with the desired outcome: a degree, technical skill, certificate, work experience or another meaningful goal. Program names alone may hide important differences in credentials, entry criteria and available support.

Distinguish a published fact from a question. If the page does not explain a support or cost, mark it “ask the program” instead of filling the gap with a guess. Diagnosis alone does not determine the right pathway.

2. Worked example

One fictional program awards a technical certificate and includes a supervised placement. Another offers a degree pathway with a separate support-request process. Riley wants to explore repair work. Riley compares the actual subjects, entry requirements, costs and placement details, then lists unanswered questions for each program.

Practise together

  1. Name an interest and a desired outcome.
  2. Compare two routes using the same categories.
  3. Mark missing facts as questions and choose one question to investigate next.

3. Practise a changed situation

One program’s website does not describe travel support. What should the comparison say?

  1. Travel is definitely provided because other supports are listed.
  2. Ask the program about travel; the published information is incomplete.

Answer: B. Missing information is an unanswered question, not evidence that a service exists. Clarifying it helps the learner make a realistic plan.

4. Use it in real life

Compare two fictional pathways: a certificate with a work placement and a degree with optional career advising. Choose a personal-interest scenario and list two facts still needed before deciding.

Review together

Change one thing

Change the desired outcome from trying a work task to pursuing a particular credential. Explain which comparison categories become more important.

Helper note: Avoid steering every autistic learner toward one route. Use age-respectful examples and confirm current criteria with programs before any real application decision.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 11 OF 12

Plan a study week with supports

Goal: Build a fictional schedule that includes commitments, travel, study and rest without overlapping required activities.

Prepare

1. Understand

Place fixed commitments first, then include the time needed to reach them. Add realistic study and rest blocks, leaving room for tasks that take longer or plans that change.

Two blocks cannot occupy the same required time unless a real alternative has been agreed. A visible conflict is useful information: move a flexible task or discuss an adjustment rather than pretending both fit.

2. Worked example

Drew has a fictional class from 10:00 to 11:00 and a thirty-minute journey afterward. Drew places a project meeting at 11:45, leaving time to travel and settle. A flexible study block follows lunch. When travel changes to forty-five minutes, Drew reviews the meeting start instead of hiding the conflict.

Practise together

  1. Add fixed classes or appointments to a fictional day.
  2. Add travel, study and chosen breaks.
  3. Check each boundary and revise any overlap or unrealistic transition.

3. Practise a changed situation

Class ends at 11:00. Travel takes thirty minutes. A meeting at another location starts at 11:15. What is the issue?

  1. Travel finishes at 11:30, after the meeting begins.
  2. There is no conflict because the class ends before the meeting starts.

Answer: A. The plan must account for travel. Starting at 11:00 and travelling thirty minutes reaches the next place at 11:30, fifteen minutes after the meeting starts.

4. Use it in real life

Make a fictional afternoon plan: class 1:00–2:00, travel thirty minutes, a chosen break, then a flexible study task. Show how the start of study depends on the break you choose.

Review together

Change one thing

Add a fifteen-minute travel delay. Move a flexible task and explain what still fits and what needs discussion.

Helper note: Use fictional schedules. A learner does not need to disclose their real routine, location or appointments to practise planning.

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LEARNING SEQUENCE 12 OF 12

Prepare an evidence-based portfolio

Goal: Document an original project so a reviewer can understand what was tested and reproduce one result.

Prepare

1. Understand

A portfolio claim should name what you actually tried. Keep a short record of the setup, the action taken and the observed result. Label simulations, mockups and planned work accurately.

A useful limitation helps a reviewer interpret the evidence. “Tested with three fictional records” is more precise than “works for everyone.” Remove private information from files, screenshots and instructions before sharing.

2. Worked example

Kai creates a local app that sorts five fictional tasks by date. The project card records the input list, the sort action and the observed order. It says “local prototype; not deployed; no multi-user testing.” A reviewer repeats the example and suggests checking tasks with the same date.

Practise together

  1. Choose one safe project and state its goal.
  2. Record one reproducible test and the observed result.
  3. Label the scope, remove private details and name a next improvement.

3. Practise a changed situation

Your app was tested with five fictional tasks on one device. Which claim fits the evidence?

  1. The app is proven reliable for every user and device.
  2. The local prototype passed this five-task test; wider testing remains.

Answer: B. The second statement names the tested scope and leaves untested conditions open. Honest limits make the project easier to evaluate.

4. Use it in real life

Create a project card for a picture story, counting activity or small program. Include one test another person can repeat, the result, a limit and a next improvement.

Review together

Change one thing

Ask a reviewer to follow the card without extra instructions. Add the missing detail they needed, then test that revision.

Helper note: Value meaningful evidence over polished claims. Do not publish a learner’s work, identity or private information without the appropriate permission; this exercise does not publish anything.

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