For parents and teachers
Printable toileting visual schedules: bathroom picture steps for autistic children
Yes. Our Going to the Bathroom visual schedule is a printable PDF for $1.99 that breaks toileting into 8 picture steps, from turning on the light to washing hands and leaving. Below is how to use a picture-step toileting schedule, then the bathroom schedules and social stories we sell, matched to what each one fits.
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A toileting visual schedule is a strip of pictures that shows each step of using the bathroom, in order, so your child can see what comes next instead of only hearing it.
How to use a picture-step toileting schedule
These steps come from the instructions printed in our schedules and from our free guide How do I potty train my autistic child?, which covers readiness, sensory issues and when to call the pediatrician.
- Start when the readiness signs are there. Look for your child staying dry for a couple of hours, some awareness of being wet or soiled, and following a short routine you have shown more than once. None of these needs spoken words.
- Make the board. Print and laminate each page, cut the pictures apart and put Velcro on the back, then put Velcro on each box in the second and third columns.
- Set out the steps. Place the picture for each step next to its words in the second column. Hang it in the bathroom, where your child can see what comes next.
- Move each picture when the step is done. After your child finishes a step, your child moves its picture to the third column, so what is done and what comes next stay in view.
- Use it on every visit, with scheduled sits. Sit at set times, for example every hour or so, use the same plain words each time, and praise every small step: sitting down, staying seated, any attempt. Never punish or shame an accident.
- Finish with hand washing. The bathroom schedule ends with washing hands; a separate 7-step Washing Hands schedule can hang by the sink.
If the flush, the seat or the bathroom itself is hard for your child, the potty-training guide has small changes that help, such as flushing after your child leaves, a seat insert and a footstool.
The bathroom schedules and stories we sell
Prices are the Special Learning store’s prices on November 13, 2026, in US dollars, each paid in a single payment. These are digital downloads; printed copies are not shipped.
Picture-step schedules for the bathroom routine
| Schedule | The steps it shows | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Going to the Bathroom visual schedule | Fits: toilet training at home or school. 8 steps: go in and turn on the light, pull down pants and underwear, sit on the toilet, wipe with toilet paper, pull pants and underwear back up, flush, wash hands, turn off the light and leave. Page 2 has the cut-apart picture icons and how to put the board together. | 1 PDF, 2 pages | $1.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
| Washing Hands visual schedule | Fits: the last step of every bathroom visit, and before meals. 7 steps: turn on the water, wet hands, get soap, rub hands together to make suds, rinse, turn off the water, dry hands with a towel. | 1 PDF, 2 pages | $1.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
| Self-Help Skills Visual Schedule bundle | Fits: building a whole self-care routine. Five picture schedules (going to the bathroom, washing hands, brushing teeth, taking a bath, getting ready for bed) plus a Getting Dressed social story with an instructional guide. | 6 PDFs | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Social stories for asking to use the bathroom
| Story | What it teaches | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asking to Use the Bathroom social story | Fits: a child who can use the toilet but needs the words to ask, at school, at dinner or at a friend's house. The 6-page story teaches raising a hand in class and saying "May I use the bathroom, please?", excusing yourself at the table, telling a friend before you go, and that what happens in the bathroom is private. Comes with a black-and-white copy to color, rule cards and an instructional guide. | 4 PDFs, 67 pages | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
| Asking to Use the Bathroom social story in Russian | Fits: Russian-speaking families and classrooms. The same six-page story in Russian (Я прошусь в туалет), followed by instructions for using it, in one 20-page PDF. | 1 PDF, 20 pages | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Print the bathroom schedule today
The Going to the Bathroom visual schedule gives your child the 8 steps in pictures, for $1.99, a one-time digital purchase you can print today.
Get the bathroom schedule ($1.99)
Want the whole self-care routine? The Self-Help Skills Visual Schedule bundle is $9.99 for five schedules and a Getting Dressed story. Or make your own schedule with our free Visual Schedule Maker (a short form asks for your role, name, email and country, and ZIP code in the US, before it opens).
Questions parents and teachers ask
Is there a printable bathroom or toileting visual schedule with picture steps?
Yes. Our Going to the Bathroom visual schedule is a 2-page PDF for $1.99. It shows 8 picture steps: go in and turn on the light, pull down pants and underwear, sit on the toilet, wipe with toilet paper, pull pants and underwear back up, flush, wash hands, turn off the light and leave. Page 2 has cut-apart picture icons and how to put the board together.
How do I use a toileting visual schedule?
Print and laminate it, cut out the pictures and put Velcro on the back. Place each picture beside its step. When your child finishes a step, your child moves its picture to the done column. Hang it in the bathroom and use it on every visit, alongside scheduled bathroom sits and the same plain words each time.
What if my child can use the toilet but doesn't ask to go?
That is a separate skill. Our Asking to Use the Bathroom social story teaches the words to ask in class, at the dinner table and at a friend's house, for $9.99, and it is also sold in Russian.
Related free guides
- How do I potty train my autistic child?
- How to use a visual schedule at home: a step-by-step guide for parents
- Printable visual schedules for autism: which one fits your routine
- Printable social stories: which one fits your situation
- Printable token boards and data sheets: which one fits what you’re teaching
- Holiday social stories: printable Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah stories
Social Stories is a trademark of Carol Gray. Product details checked against the store and the files on November 13, 2026.