The Task Initiation collection by Ergotreatment is designed for children who can do the task, but struggle to get started. This curated set of OT activities, visual supports, and learning resources helps kids move from “I don’t know where to begin” to “I can start this on my own”, making everyday routines feel more manageable for the whole family.

This collection is ideal for parents, teachers, and pediatric occupational therapists who support children with autism, ADHD, learning differences, or other special needs. Inside, you’ll find printable resources, OT worksheets, OT printables, and digital activities that make it easier to start homework, morning routines, chores, written work, and classroom activities — both in school-based OT and at home.

Task initiation is a core part of executive functioning, along with planning, organization, and sustained attention. When children have difficulty with task initiation, it may look like:

• staring at a blank page and “not knowing what to do first”
  
• needing constant adult prompts to begin a familiar task
  
• getting distracted during transitions or at the very start of activities
  
• arguing, refusing, or procrastinating when tasks feel overwhelming
  
• only starting when an adult sits right next to them
  

These behaviours are often connected to underlying challenges in attention and focus, self-regulation, emotional regulation, motor planning, and sometimes sensory processing challenges. Children may want to do well but feel stuck, anxious, or overloaded by the first step.

The resources in this collection are created to make starting tasks easier, more concrete, and more predictable. Through play-based learning, structured occupational therapy activities, and simple visual supports, children can practice how to:

• break tasks into small, clear, step-by-step actions
  
• use visual schedules, checklists, and “first–then” boards to know what comes next
  
• begin with “bite-sized” print and go activities that feel achievable
  
• pair task initiation with calming self-regulation and behavior management strategies
  
• build confidence by seeing themselves complete tasks from start to finish
  

In this collection, you’ll find:

• OT resources for therapy planning focused on task initiation and OT goals
  
• ready-to-use therapist worksheets and learning resources for clinic and classroom
  
• home-friendly visuals and OT home exercises that support occupational therapy activities at home
  
• simple family activity ideas that blend practice into everyday routines
  
• materials that work well for teletherapy activities and digital sessions
  

Many of the tools are designed as print and go activities so that busy families and therapists can immediately support task initiation without spending extra time designing their own materials. Visual timers, “start here” prompts, checklists, and short structured tasks can be combined with behavior management strategies and calming sensory strategies to reduce resistance and overwhelm at the start of a task.

From a pediatric occupational therapy perspective, supporting task initiation is not just about getting kids to “start faster.” It is about teaching them how to approach a task: how to understand expectations, manage their emotions and behaviour at the beginning, and choose a strategy when they feel stuck. When we combine clear visual supports, targeted OT activities, and consistent home programs, children gradually learn that they can begin tasks, even when they feel challenging.

Use the Task Initiation collection to build your own executive functioning toolkit for home, clinic, or classroom. Pair these OT resources, worksheets, and digital activities with everyday routines — homework, dressing, tidying up, schoolwork — so that children with autism, ADHD, and other special needs can practice getting started, build persistence, and participate more fully and independently in everyday life.