Visual aids for teaching children with autism play a crucial role in improving understanding and engagement. Children with autism often find it easier to process information when it’s presented visually. This approach can help them connect with the material, reduce anxiety, and stay focused.
Using visual aids like charts, pictures, and videos can make lessons more interactive. It breaks down complex concepts into simpler forms. This method also enhances memory and comprehension. By incorporating visual aids into your teaching, you’re setting up your child for greater success.
In this article, we’ll explore how visual aids can transform your teaching methods and support children with autism. You’ll learn practical ideas that can be easily applied in your classroom or home setting.
What Are Visual Supports?
Visual supports involve using pictures or other visual tools to communicate with children who struggle with understanding or using language. These supports can take various forms, including photographs, drawings, objects, written words, or lists. Studies have shown that visual supports are an effective way to enhance communication.
Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) benefit from visual support in two key ways. First, they help parents communicate more clearly with their children. Second, they assist the child in expressing themselves and interacting with others.
This guide is designed to introduce parents, caregivers, and professionals to visual supports and provide step-by-step instructions on how to use them effectively. While visual supports can be beneficial for individuals of all ages, this guide focuses on their use with children. Additionally, caregivers other than parents, such as teachers or therapists, can also use visual supports to support communication.
Why are Visual Aids for Teaching Children with Autism Importance?
Difficulties in social interaction, language use, and a tendency toward repetitive behaviors or limited interests mainly characterize Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Visual supports play a crucial role in addressing all three of these challenges.
Children with ASD may struggle to interpret social cues when engaging with others in everyday situations. They might have trouble understanding social norms, such as initiating conversations, responding to others, or adjusting their behavior based on unspoken social expectations.
Visual supports can serve as a tool for teaching these social skills, enabling children with ASD to navigate social interactions more independently.
Many children with ASD find it challenging to process and follow verbal instructions. They may also have difficulty expressing their needs or desires clearly. Using visual aids can help parents and caregivers convey expectations more effectively, reducing frustration and minimizing problematic behaviors that arise from communication difficulties. Visual supports encourage positive and appropriate ways of communicating.
Changes in routine or unfamiliar situations can cause anxiety or distress for some children with ASD, sometimes leading to behavioral outbursts. Visual supports can help them understand upcoming events, providing a sense of predictability and reducing anxiety. By offering clear expectations, visuals can help children feel more secure and prepared for transitions or new experiences.
How Can Visual Aids for Teaching Children With Autism be Utilized?
Visual supports can be helpful in various ways, including:
- Designing daily or weekly schedules using visual time blocks
- Illustrating step-by-step instructions for tasks like getting dressed or a bedtime routine
- Representing units of time in a clear and structured way
- Creating a checklist of tasks to complete
- Assisting communication for individuals who are non-verbal or have limited verbal skills
- Providing clear options to help with decision-making
Is it Possible To Create Your Visual Aid?
Some of the available programs can be quite expensive, making them unaffordable for everyone. A cost-effective alternative is to design your visuals. There are several ways to do this, including:
- Using a digital camera to take photographs
- Cutting out images from magazines, old calendars, or other printed materials
- Finding affordable visual aids at dollar stores
However, when taking photos, it’s important to minimize background distractions and keep the focus on the main subject. If a picture is taken from too far away, the background may appear cluttered, which can be distracting—especially for individuals with autism.
Many Apps Offer visual Support at Low Costs.
Applications for iPad and iTouch are making visual supports more accessible than ever and at a low cost. The Autism Speaks website has a great list of available apps and what they are used for. If you’re looking for a great book that reviews apps, try Apps for Autism.
How to Effectively Use Visual Aids For Teaching Children With Autism
Using visual supports follows a structured progression. The best approach is to start with object-to-object matching, then move to object-to-picture matching, and finally, picture-to-picture matching.
Begin by having the child match a real object with an identical object. Once they can do this successfully, introduce object-to-picture matching. This step teaches the child that a picture can represent a real object. The final stage involves matching one picture to another, reinforcing the concept of visual representation.
Some people skip this sequence and struggle to understand why a child doesn’t grasp picture-based supports, such as those created with Boardmaker. Following this structured method ensures that the child gradually builds the necessary skills to interpret visual aids effectively.
Hierarchy of Visual Supports:
- Real Objects
- Colored Photographs
- Black-and-White Photographs
- Colored Illustrations
- Black-and-White Illustrations
- Text/Written Words
First-Then Board
What is it?
A First-Then Board is a visual tool used to show something your child enjoys, which will happen after completing a task that they find less enjoyable.
When is it helpful?
This tool is especially useful for teaching children with ASD to follow instructions and learn new skills. It encourages them to engage in less preferred tasks by making clear what enjoyable activity comes next. A First-Then Board also supports the development of language skills necessary for following multi-step directions and adapting to more complex visual systems.
How do I teach it and use it?
Choose a task your child should complete first (what goes in the “first” box), and then select an enjoyable item or activity (what goes in the “then” box) that your child will get immediately after finishing the task.
The preferred activity should motivate enough to increase the likelihood that your child will complete the first task.
Place visuals (like photos, drawings, or written words) on the board to represent your chosen activities. Then, give a simple verbal instruction. For instance, before starting, you could say, “First, put on your shoes, then swing.”
You may refer to the board during the task. For example, as your child nears completion, say, “One more shoe, then swing.” Once the “first” task is done, return to the board and say, “All done with shoes, now swing!” and immediately give the preferred item/activity.
To ensure your child values the First-Then Board, always provide the promised reinforcing activity after the task is completed, as this helps build trust in the system.
What if challenging behaviors occur?
If challenging behaviors arise, continue guiding your child through the first task, keeping your focus on completing the task instead of the challenging behavior. Make sure to follow through by providing the enjoyable item/activity as promised.
To avoid difficult behaviors, introduce the First-Then Board with tasks your child is already familiar with and can usually complete without resistance. If challenging behaviors persist, consider seeking help from a behavioral specialist to address these issues.
Visual Schedule
What is it?
A visual schedule is a pictorial or written guide that outlines events, tasks, or activities planned for the day or within a specific task.
When is it Useful?
A visual schedule is beneficial for simplifying tasks that involve multiple steps, ensuring that each step is followed correctly. It also helps reduce anxiety and rigidity related to transitions by clearly indicating when different activities will take place throughout the day or a specific period.
How Can You Teach and Use It?
- Once your child understands how to sequence activities using a First-Then Board, you can introduce a more detailed schedule that covers multiple activities throughout the day.
- Start by selecting the activities to include in the schedule, ensuring they will take place in the chosen order. It’s helpful to mix enjoyable activities with less preferred ones to keep your child engaged.
- Each activity should be represented by visuals such as pictures, drawings, or written words. The schedule can be portable, like on a binder or clipboard, or placed in a fixed location, such as a wall or refrigerator. Your child should be able to see it before starting the first activity and throughout the day.
- When it’s time to begin an activity, give your child a simple verbal cue, such as, “Check the schedule.” This helps them focus on what’s next. Initially, you may need to physically guide them by gently directing their attention to the schedule and prompting them to point to the next activity.
- As they become more familiar with the routine, you can gradually reduce physical prompts.
- After completing each task, prompt your child to check the schedule again and transition to the next activity using the same verbal cue and method. Over time, this will help them develop independence in following the schedule.
What Should You Do if Challenging Behaviors Arise?
If challenging behaviors occur, continue guiding your child through the task by offering physical prompts. Focus on the task itself instead of the disruptive behavior.
Once the task is completed, smoothly transition to the next activity as outlined in the schedule, making sure to still provide any reinforcing items or activities mentioned in the schedule. Remember, the primary goal of the schedule is to complete tasks, not to focus on the challenging behavior.
If you anticipate that challenging behaviors might occur, start by using the visual schedule during tasks your child typically completes easily and successfully. If the behaviors become harder to manage, it may be helpful to consult with a professional for behavioral advice and strategies.
Visually Setting Boundaries
What Does it Mean?
Setting boundaries visually means using images or symbols to mark limits around activities or items and to convey expected behaviors, such as waiting.
When is it Useful?
This technique helps establish limits in an activity that might be unclear to your child. Here are some examples of when it can be beneficial:
- Indicating physical boundaries of an area or activity, like placing a “stop” sign in the backyard to show where to stop.
- Showing the availability of an item or activity, like putting a “not available” image on the computer when it’s not time to use it.
- Indicating the number of available items, such as placing three pictures of juice boxes on the refrigerator and covering or removing one each time the juice is given.
- Helping a child understand when they need to wait for something that will be available soon, like pairing a “wait” card with a timer to signal a delay.
How Can I Teach and Apply It?
Start by introducing these visuals in situations with clear, simple, and short parameters. As your child becomes more comfortable with these visuals, slowly incorporate them into longer tasks and more complex scenarios.
What Should You Do if Challenging Behaviors Arise?
- If you anticipate that challenging behaviors might happen, it’s helpful to introduce these guidelines during easier situations or start with simpler expectations.
- If problem behaviors do emerge, remain consistent with the boundaries you’ve set. Focus on acknowledging and praising the parts of the expectations that are being followed, instead of emphasizing the challenging behaviors.
Incorporating visual aids can be beneficial for both you and your child with ASD, as it helps improve communication and positively manage daily activities.
When Should I Stop Using Visual Aids For My Child With Autism?
A common question I often hear is, “When should I reduce the use of visual aids?” The short answer is, “You shouldn’t.” We all rely on some form of visual tool to stay organized and plan our days. Many of us use smartphones, planners, desk calendars, or to-do lists. Visual tools are helpful for individuals on the spectrum because they create predictability, which in turn helps reduce anxiety.
Do you ever stop using your calendar, planner, or phone? Do you go shopping without a list? The answer is no. Similarly, visual aids should not be removed from the lives of people on the spectrum. As the child grows, however, you can modify the types of visual aids used. For example, a teenager might feel self-conscious using a Velcro visual schedule on his desk, but an iTouch device can help him fit in with his peers.
A final Thought: Just because someone with autism is very verbal or academically gifted doesn’t mean they no longer need visual aids. I know an adult woman with autism who lives independently, yet keeps detailed checklists in her home for tasks like doing laundry, washing dishes, and taking out the trash.
Keep in Mind
The power of visual aids cannot be underestimated in teaching children with autism. These tools offer an effective way to make lessons more accessible and engaging. By using visuals, you help children better understand concepts, stay focused, and build their confidence.
Implementing visual aids, such as diagrams, color-coded systems, or even simple pictures, can greatly enhance a child’s learning experience. Keep experimenting with different types of visual aids to find what works best for your child.
We hope this article has inspired you to integrate visual aids for teaching children with autism. With patience and creativity, you can make a positive impact on their learning journey. Let’s work together to create an inclusive, supportive environment for all learners!