About Carissa Spisak

It started with one schedule

When her child was 2, Carissa made a picture schedule by hand: photos of the real things in the day (the front door, the nap mat, the faces of the people coming), taken from a toddler’s eye level and put up in the order they happen. A card comes off into an “all done” pocket as each part of the day ends.

That schedule is where Doctor Carissa began. Every printable since follows the same idea: one clear picture for each thing, few words, and sizes that work in a real kitchen or at a bedside.

Her background

Carissa holds a doctorate in speech-language pathology, the field that studies how people understand and use language. She worked as a clinician before stepping away from clinical practice, and today she works outside clinical practice.

Doctor Carissa is not a clinic and does not offer clinical services. The printables and guides are educational tools for families and caregivers to use at home.

What Doctor Carissa makes

The printables come in collections, each for a different need or stage of life:

• Everyday communication. Large-print picture boards, alphabet boards and conversation cards for everyday conversations with family and caregivers. Grown-up pictures, plain words and plenty of room to point.
• Kids' routines and schedules. Photo schedules and routine charts made from your own photos, to show a child what comes next: mornings, bedtime, outings and first, then boards.
• Tools for caregivers. Large-print forms to print, fill in and keep together: a blood pressure log, a medication list and daily log, and the pages of a caregiver binder.

More are in the works, including first words and toddler talk, social stories, mealtimes and school days.

How the printables are made

Carissa designed the Photo Visual Schedule herself, from the one she made for her own 2-year-old. The other printables are made by the Doctor Carissa team. Where our printables have illustrations, they are drafted with AI image tools and curated by us. Our photo kits use your own photos. You can read the details in how we make our pages.

What we can’t do

We can’t give advice about a specific child or adult, and we do not take custom orders that need a diagnosis or medical details. Each printable lists exactly what is inside, so you can choose what fits your home. For advice about a person you care for, talk with their own speech-language pathologist or doctor.

Say hello

Questions about a printable, a mistake to report, or an idea for a new one: hello@doctorcarissa.com.