Elena Ghonis, Autism SpecialistJennifer Ensley, Special Education Teacher

Visual vs. Auditory LearnersThings to remember as educators:

Visual communication is the most effective form of communication for most students!

Children with special needs who experience a communication disorder frequently have behavior difficulties because they are not successful in communicating their wants and needs.

They tend to be visual learners living in a very auditory world.

Visual learner in an Auditory World

Let’s take a brief glimpse into how our students may feel doing an everyday activity. Experience Autism Video

What are visual supports? Directions, prompts, or cues that you can see.

i.e.- schedules, directions, task analysis, checklist, information sharers, physical boundaries and behavior supports.

Teachers and teacher assistants can also serve as a visual tool by exhibiting expected behaviors

i.e.- greeting a visitor with a handshake, hands by your side while walking in the hall.

A few examples: Daily and personal schedules

Classroom rules

Bathroom and Hand washing Routines

Behavior supports

Visual cues (Behavior and Learning)

Checklist and organizers

Information sharers

Who benefits from visual supports? Students of all ages

Teachers

Teacher assistants

Parents

Therapist

EVERYONE benefits!!

Why use visual supports? Improve student understanding and enhance learning

Decrease student fear and anxieties

Support appropriate behavior

Increase expressive communication

Teach self-regulation and self-management for independence

Where can visual supports be used?

EVERYWHERE!!

Bottom line: Visual supports help students with disabilities….

Follow classroom rules

Understand what they are suppose to do

Know what is happening next

Reduce aggressive or self-injurious behavior

Decrease frustration and anxiety

Transition from one activity to another

Gain independence and understand boundaries

Visual Supports In Action

CREATING VISUAL SUPPORTS

Remember: K.I.S.S.

KEEP IT SIMPLE SILLY

Trial and Error

Individualization

Daily and Personal Schedules Provides students with the sequence of the days

events.

Make sure to include regular activities as well as something new like a field trip.

Identify students level of learning: object, picture, or words.

Classroom and individual student schedules.

Classroom Schedules

Individual Schedules

More Individual Schedules

Steps to Creating Schedules

1- Divide the day ( room changes, activities, subjects, staff)

2- Name each segment (from the student’s point of view)

3- Select representation system (object, symbols/pictures, or words)

4- Format ( Size, location, time representation, individual or group, or both)

5- Student participation ( cross off, Velcro, pointing)

6- USE THE SCHEDULE( follow it, refer to it)

Classroom Rules Visual supports help the student understand what we

expect of them and appropriate behavior

Post the rules in a variety of places/modes

Review the rules regularly

Allow appropriate wait times (1,2,3)

Prompt as needed

You may need to institute rules for individual students to address specific problems

Classroom Rules- Variety of delivery methods

Routines (Morning, Bathroom, etc.)

Morning Routine

1) Put book bag on the table and open bag.

2) Take folder and lunch out of book bag.

3) Put folder in the basket.

3) Zip book bag.

4) Take off coat.

4) Hang book bag and coat in your cubby.

Routines cont’d ( Home, Community)

Behavior Management

Visual Cues

Placed on students desk

Placed throughout the classroom

Visual Cues Cont’d

Expressive Communication

Checklist/ Organizers

Information Sharing

Additional commonly used visual supports

ChecklistChecklist or “to do” list are good support for helping a student remember a sequence of behavior. Primarily designed for students who are older and who read, they provide visual representation of the parts of an activity that have been completed versus the ones that have not. This allows your student a greater sense of control of activity/environment. You could also create a checklist/ “to do” list using pictures/symbols.

Color codingThe purpose of color coding is to either highlight an important feature or to present a category. Highlighters, markers, colored pencils, colored background are all examples of some of the tools you might use to color code instructional material.

Additional commonly used visual supports cont’d

Comic strip conversationsComic strip conversation is a visual tool and can reduce challenging behavior of students with disability who have below average verbal ability. CSC may not be appropriate for students who have not yet mastered the concept of sequencing, or verbal responses between the communicator and listener.

Graphic organizersUsed to organize information or thoughts in such a way that a visual learner would be more likely to comprehend and recall the information. They can be simple and contain only a few ideas, or complex enough to visually represent more complicated concepts.

Social storiesThe goal is to develop in picture/word format, a story about the appropriate use of a target social skill or rule. The story should be written in language to the student’s ability.

Additional commonly used visual supports cont’d

Mnemonics- A technique, such as a rhyme, acronym, or picture, consciously used as an aid in remembering specific information. Examples: Student may be taught to visualize a “mini soda” to remember the state of

Minnesota when studying the United States. Using your “HEAD” during a conversation; the acronym HEAD stands for

Happy voice, Eye contact, Alternate, Distance.

Video modelingIt involves videotaping/recoding one or more people modeling the behavior you want to teach; it could be used to model more complex behavior that cannot be readily depicted in a stationary picture. Video modeling can be used to teach social skills, life skills, non-interactive skills, etc.

Things to Remember When creating visual tools, select what the is easily

recognizable to the student

Be clear and concise

Make sure the student understands the system

Include the correct information

Assess and make changes as needed

USE the visual supports!

A Final Funny

Questions, Thoughts & Comments