Incorporating Visuals to Support Individuals with Autism

Visual supports are an evidenced-based practice for individuals with autism, language delays, developmental delays, auditory processing disorders, learning disabilities, ADD, and other communication disorders. Actually, it helps all learners. Visuals serve multiple purposes. It’s a tool that supports communication and behavior, increases access to the curriculum, and increases successful participation in and completion of curriculum requirements.  

 

WHAT ARE VISUALS? In contrast to auditory input, visuals are concrete, meaningful, static, and permanent.  

 

• Body movements, gestures, facial expressions. 

• Environmental cues (visual boundaries, signs, labels) 

• Pictures, Objects 

• Written language  

• Concrete tools to give information 

 

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM VISUAL SUPPORTS? 

Everyone benefits: the teacher, the individual student, and the whole class. Imagine a classroom where communication is clearer, instruction is efficient and effective, and the social emotional atmosphere is calmer, positive, and supportive.  

 

WHY USE VISUAL SUPPORTS?  

 

• Visuals provide information that doesn’t “disappear” like verbal or auditory information, (even sign language can be transient). 

• Allows for time to process information and supports comprehension. 

• Structures the environment, establishes expectations. 

• Creates organizational tools. 

• Increases participation and independence. 

• Makes abstract concepts a bit concrete. 

• Accommodates for challenges with language, attention, memory.  

• Supports behavior – student learns how to behave. 

• Visual schedules reduce anxiety; student knows what to expect. 

• Helps with current activity and next activity; transitions (shift attention to next activity). What is going to happen, when it is going to happen, what is the sequence of events, what do students need, where he/she is going, what are the choices, what is changing, who is coming, how long will an activity last, when he/she gets a break, when is the preferred activity. 

• Makes time visual and concrete 

• Supports short attention span (how long, how many more?) 

• Reduces anxiety, provides predictability  

 

WHAT CAN VISUAL SUPPORTS BE USED FOR? 

Visuals are tools to 

• Organize and structure the environment 

• Establish expectations, rules, routines 

• Provide directions, explicit instructions 

• Facilitate communication, social interaction 

• Adapt curriculum 

• Modify assignments (highlight, underline, arrows) 

• Support comprehension  

• Support communication  

• Give information on who what when why how 

 

Examples – Types of Visual Strategies         

 

• Calendars 

• Schedules- classroom and individual  

• Timelines 

• Classroom/individual rules & routines 

• School planner  

• Task Organizers  

• Clocks, timers 

• Organizational systems 

• Work Systems 

• First, Then  

• Graphic organizers 

• Checklists  

• Task analysis tool to teach a skill or routine 

• Step-by-step instructions 

• Social stories 

• Tools to teach and support behavior  

• Token board 

• Choice board 

• Videos to teach social, communication, behavior  

• Conversation tools 

• Scripts  

• Comic strip conversations  

 

Visuals support learning, language, communication, and behavior in an inclusive environment. It increases independence and participation. Think visual when teaching. Explore the resources listed below. Incorporating visual strategies in your teaching will become a natural part of your repertoire. It benefits all. 

 

RESOURCES 

 

1.  Virginia Commonwealth University  = How to Videos 

How to: Visual Supports 

 Video:  6:33 

View Video - VCU Autism Center for Excellence 

 

2. You can find the whole How To videos here:  

How to Video Series - VCU Autism Center for Excellence 

 

3. Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules. Training modules for evidence-based practices: 

Visual Supports | AFIRM (unc.edu) 

 

4. Visual Schedules: Do2Learn is overall a great resource. 

Do2Learn: Educational Resources for Special Needs 

 

      5.   Resource for visual supports to search and print out:  

Visual Supports: Resources: Indiana Resource Center for Autism: Indiana University Bloomington 

 

7. This website has links to other resources. Visual Supports Learning Links and Templates - Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies - University of Maine (umaine.edu) 

 

8. Visual Supports » Center for Autism and Related Disabilities » College of Medicine » University of Florida (ufl.edu) 

 

9. PowerPoint with examples: Visual-Supports-for-Children-with-ASD.pptx.pdf (unm.edu) 

 

BOOKS (some links are to Abebooks.com, used books at a reduced price) 

Everyday Education: Visual Support for Children with Autism by Pernille Dyrbjerg & Maria Vedel, 2007.  

The Social Skills Picture Book Teaching play, emotion, & communication to children with autism by Jed Baker, 2001. 

Visual Strategies for Improving Communication by Linda A. Hodgdon, 2011. 

Visual Supports for People With Autism: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (Topics in Autism) by Marlene J. Cohen & Peter F. Gerhardt, 2016.  

Visual Thinking Strategies for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders - The Language Of Pictures by Carole Kaulitz, Mabel Brown, Ellyn Lucas Arwood, 2009. 

 

Colleen N. Fay, M.S.

Autism/Behavior Consultant

Montana Autism Education Project 

Stanford autism therapy app research study-done from home!

 Below is information about a research opportunity at Stanford University for children with autism 3-12 years old. Please let me know if you have any questions!  (My contact info is below) If you know of families who may be interested, please feel free to share! 

Stanford University is looking for families to participate in a remote study where they will test an App designed to help children with autism improve social communication and emotion recognition skills. 

Eligibility: To participate, you must be a parent (18+ years old) of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) between the ages of 3 and 12 years old. Participants can live anywhere in the world, but do need a smartphone or tablet with access to WiFi. (App is iOs and Android compatible)

You can enroll and get started here: https://guesswhatstudy.stanford.edu/ [nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com]
 
Procedure: All study participation is done from home. After completing initial measures, participants will be randomized to treatment or control conditions. Treatment participants will play the study app 3 times a week for 4 weeks (15-20 minutes total each week) and Control participants will receive the app 8 weeks after completing initial survey. We provide you with the mobile game for free, as well as a $50 Amazon gift card following completion of all study procedures, and  up to an additional $20 gift card for completion of additional follow-up measures.

After you complete the survey linked above, you will receive study instructions from the team within 1 week.

Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions!

Kindly,
Kaiti

--
Kaiti Dunlap
Clinical Research Coordinator
The Wall Lab at Stanford University
kaiti.dunlap@stanford.edu
650-497-9214

For participant’s rights, contact the Stanford Institutional Review Board at 1-866-680-2906

How I use "masking" to Help With My Experience as an Autistic Woman

 "I didn’t even know what ‘masking’ was until long after I was diagnosed with autism. It’s defined as ‘camouflaging or compensating’ and ‘a social survival strategy’. 

For me, it works in the same way that makeup does. When I feel insecure about my natural looks, I wear makeup to make myself feel more confident. It allows me to not stand out as much and I feel like I ‘fit in’ with most of society. 

Masking is very similar – it’s a technique that involves adopting traits, mannerisms and mimicking others’ behaviour to blend in."

Read more here at Metro. 

Training - Teaching Self-Advocacy Skills

Virtual Training – October 15^th   3:30 – 4:30 p.m.  // October 22^nd   9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Self-advocacy skills are important for the children in your classroom and their having those skills will make the classroom experience more enjoyable and productive for everyone. This webinar will provide you with a plan to teach practical self-advocacy skills your students can start practicing in your classroom and at home.

Register for the training here. 

Book: Prevent-Teach-Reinforce: The School-Based Model of Individualized Positive Behavior Support Second Edition

 Suggested by one of our Autism Consultants. 

Solve serious behavior challenges in K–8 classrooms with the updated second edition of this bestselling book, your practical, user-friendly guide to the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model. Developed by highly respected experts on positive behavior support, this research-proven model gives your school team a step-by-step blueprint for reducing problems unresolved by typical behavior management strategies. You'll get explicit guidance and strategies for implementing all five steps of PTR: 1) teaming and goal-setting, 2) collecting data, 3) conducting a PTR Functional Behavioral Assessment, 4) developing a PTR behavior intervention plan, and 5) monitoring progress and making data-based decisions. Enhanced with new research on PTR and fresh content on timely topics like multi-tiered systems of support, this guidebook will help you resolve even the toughest behavior challenges—and improve social and academic outcomes for your whole class.

BENEFITS OF PTR:

• proven effective by research and field testing in real classrooms—PTR was shown to reduce behavior problems and increase evidence of social skills and academic engagement
• structured and explicit, with five systematic steps that take you beyond tips and strategies
• consistent with positive behavior support and derived from the principles of applied behavior analysis
• easily adaptable to the needs and goals of each individual student
• effective for both typically developing students and learners with disabilities and other challenges

WHAT'S NEW
New and enhanced material on:

• Using multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS)
• Implementing evidence-based classroom strategies
• Becoming an effective team facilitator
• Collaborating as a strong, cohesive team
• Monitoring progress with the Individualized Behavior Rating Scale Tool
• Developing successful behavior intervention plans
• Creating useful task analyses
• Making data-based decisions

Plus: new case examples that illustrate components of PTR, two in-depth case studies, and new and revised forms (also available online for easy download)

See more here. 

Social Thinking Trainings - 2021 School Year

The OPI Montana Autism Education Project has a limited number of scholarships for Montana public school educators to attend online trainings from Social Thinking. These trainings will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. OPI renewal units (4) will be provided after verification from Social Thinking that you have completed the training.  

The link to register through the OPI Montana Autism Education Project can be found here. 

A description of the trainings can be found here. The OPI scholarships are only available if you register through the above OPI link. 

If you have any questions, please email Doug Doty at ddoty@mt.gov