1. Collect photos or logos of your favorite restaurants
   Make a little book of favorite places to eat. This will be a fabulous tool to talk about where you are going.
2. Ask restaurants for a menu to take home
   Look at the menu to choose what you want to order before you go out. Preparing ahead helps students anticipate and rehearse the event. Practice ordering so they will be ready when it is their turn. (I find restaurants are very gracious about sharing their menus when I tell them why I want one.)
3. Write a little story about where you will go and what will happen
   Taking a few moments to do this before you go out will prepare the student for what will happen. Tell them what to expect when they go.
4. Make a mini-schedule of your outing
   Go in car, stand in line, sit down, order, wait, eat, pay the bill, go shopping.
5. Visually tell the child where you will go after eating
   You can put that information in the mini-schedule. Knowing what comes next can help students handle what is happening now.
6. Create some visual rules for going out to eat
   Stay in your seat, keep your food on your plate, use a quiet voice, etc. Not too many rules. Just pick a couple of important ones to work on.
7. Bring something to do if you have to wait
   Make sure that you bring something appropriate for the environment you will be in. Sometimes giving the student more than one choice works best. Of course, the choices are visual!
8. Bring a watch or timer
   Measure time waiting for food or time in the restaurant.
9. Bring home a visual memory
   A napkin, placemat, brochure, sales slip, etc. can promote conversation after going out. Put it in your little book. (See number 11)
10. Bring a camera
    Take a photo of something to remember. Try a photo of the food or someone sitting at the table. Perhaps the front of the restaurant or something interesting inside like a fish tank or play equipment will be memorable.
11. Write a story
    Write about where you went and what you did. Reviewing after an event is a great way to build communication skills. You can do this for students who are verbal. But it can also be effective for students who do not talk. Just make it simple. Create a little book with a photo and your visual memory items. Read it over & over. Use the book you made to tell someone else about what you did.

You may already do some of these things verbally. Just remember that when you make things more visual, students respond and remember better.

You don’t have to do everything on the list. Choose the activities that will be most meaningful for your child. But for students who have more difficulty dining out, use more things on the list.

Taking a little extra time to help students prepare and review can make all the difference.