Visual Supports:

We all rely on visual supports to some degree throughout our day. Red lights and stop signs indicate it is not safe to progress. Exit signs display which way to go to find our way out of a building. We might be quite uncomfortable or embarrassed if entrances to the toilets were not labelled.

Fortunately, we can generally adapt without some of these visuals. If we can’t locate the exit or toilet sign, we can find someone to ask.

For the individual with language and communication difficulties however, the situation is far more distressing.

Further information can be found in the dedicated tabs on the left (top for some mobile users). Please select a tab to view the information.

For the young child with autism, visual supports can be used to:

• Decreases distress or anxieties. It’s natural to be unsettled or anxious if we enter our day not knowing what to expect; what we will be doing, where we will be going, or even when we get to have lunch. For a child with autism, this often describes their day. Although we may attempt to explain what is happening and when, the language may not be understood or difficulties with sequencing or understanding the passage of time may prevent them from understanding. Visual schedules or first-then boards can convey important information about the sequence of events in a way that can be easily understood and frequently referenced.
• Promote consistency. It’s very easy to get distracted and forget that we’ve promised a child that he could play in the sandbox before lunch, or that he can be finished with lunch in 5 minutes. Visual supports such as schedules, first-then boards, and timers help us adults be more consistent. Consistency offers predictability and helps establish trust.

 Retrieved from ConnectABILITY

• Diffuse behaviour difficulties. No child enjoys hearing ‘no,’ and the reaction from some children with Autism can be rather intense when prevented from having something that they want. Restricted and intense interests, language comprehension difficulties, and difficulties regulating emotions can contribute to these responses. You can sometimes prevent or minimise negative responses by either visually redirecting a child to available options, or using a calendar or a visual schedule to effectively communicate when the item or activity will be available. In other words, rather than communicating ‘no’, you can effectively communicate ‘yes, but later.’
• Teach critical concepts. You can create visual schedules oriented vertically or horizontally. Either way, they support early literacy skills by teaching top to bottom and left to right progression. First/then boards and schedules also teach sequencing. Schedules and timers help teach the passage of time.
• Clarify rules and expectations. We all learn to adjust our behaviour based on the setting. We are expected to behave very differently depending on whether we are in church, at home, or at a football match. Many children with Autism have difficulty understanding that rules may vary and will need more explicit teaching or additional reminders to cue appropriate behaviours in a setting. For example, a ‘quiet voice’ or ‘walk symbol’ may be a simple and effective way of reducing shouting or running upon transitioning a child from outside play to activities indoors.

Retrieved from ConnectABILITY. 

• Promote independence. All children entering preschool or crèche will need explicit teaching of daily routines and daily care skills (washing hands, toileting) to some degree. Many of the children with Autism may need these skills broken down in further detail and may need more practice than their peers. Visual supports depicting the sequence of steps posted in relevant locations (hand washing steps at sink) can serve as effective reminders or prompts, allowing the child to progress through the day with less adult assistance. This also builds confidence in the young learner with Autism.

Websites offering free downloads:

ABA Resources

Do2Learn

Off We Go

Hometrain

Visual Aids for Learning

Autism in Hand

Head Start Centre for Inclusion

TACSEI

Tips for using visual supports:

Visual schedules serve as visual road map of the day. This helps children know what to expect, provides structure, relieves anxiety and reduces difficulty with transitions. They can help structure a seemingly chaotic and confusing environment.

In fact research has demonstrated that visual schedules can increase independence and decrease problem behaviours.

Here is a list of helpful tips for successfully introducing a visual schedule into the home or preschool.

Preparing the schedule.

• Identify your main events through the day and create icons or pictures to represent them. You will need to decide how events will be visually represented. This will differ for each child and depends on their visual discrimination skills and ability to understand that pictures and symbols represent activities. You may use real objects, actual photographic images or symbols/icons.
• Determine whether you will be introducing a first/then board or daily schedule. In some instances you may need to begin with a simple first/then board and gradually build the number of icons presented. This would likely be important for those children who have not yet been exposed to visual supports or who may have more significant learning difficulties.

Retrieved from ConnectABILITY

• Determine where/how it will be kept. You may choose to mount the schedule on laminated card, or poster board on the wall. For increased portability (e.g. to transition with outside) you can use a photo album or small lever arch binder.  Most classrooms that support children with ASD would generally post all the children’s schedules on the wall; however, portable schedules are sometimes a good option for those children with particular difficulties with transitioning.
• Determine how the schedule will be manipulated. There are many options and again, this must be determined on an individual basis, but requiring the child to manipulate the schedule rather than relying on the adult will increase the likelihood that the child is truly attending to and understanding the function of the schedule.
• Check schedule cues – Some children benefit from having a transitional cue such as a name card or ‘check schedule’ card which the child would carry with him/her and match to an envelope or pocket at the top/front of the schedule.  This can be particularly helpful for children who are easily distracted (forget where they’re headed). Providing this visual cue prevents you from having to verbally restate the instruction numerous times, which can sometimes cause increased frustration and anxiety. This is also quite useful in encouraging independence with routines.
• Indicating finished – it is helpful for activities to be removed from the schedule when completed. This may be accomplished by having a ‘finished’ strip that the child velcros the icon to, or a ‘finished’ envelope to place the icon into. This helps the child learn passage of time. Again, the child should be responsible for doing this.

Tips for using the schedule.

• At the beginning of the day/time segment, review the schedule with the child. Once the schedule is presented it is best not to change it, especially when first introducing a visual schedule. Once the child learns the meaning of the schedule, you may begin to embed some flexibility by introducing a ‘surprise,’ ‘special event’ or ‘interruption’ card.

• Consider using a timer and verbal preparation when setting up a transition from a preferred activity to a non-preferred activity. For example, if you know the child has difficulty leaving the yard to go to snack, set a timer at 3-5 minutes before you need him/her to transition, and provide a verbal reminder “when the timer beeps, it’s time to check your schedule.” Provide an additional reminder at about the 1-minute mark, “remember, when the timer beeps it’s time to check schedule.”
• When it’s time to check the schedule, prompt the child to the schedule with the transitional cue, or verbally direct him/her using consistent language. Have him/her indicate completion, and point to or select (depending on how you have designed the schedule) the next activity.
• Use fill-in statements to encourage and expand language. Daily routines such as this are perfect opportunities to encourage language. Use consistent scripts and pause 3 seconds at the end to provide an opportunity for the child to finish the statement (e.g. “circle is  finished,”  “time for play”).
• Remember that a visual schedule is different than a communication system. If a child is trying to use a schedule icon to request (e.g. pulling the ‘snack’ icon off the schedule), replace the icon on the schedule, and redirect to the child’s communication book/system. If it’s an item or activity that is not available at the time, acknowledge when it will be available (e.g. “first story, then snack”).