Visual supports for visual thinkers : practical ideas for students with autism spectrum disorders and other special educational needs

Visual supports have been proven to be a highly effective way to communicate with, and teach, a student with an autism spectrum disorder or other learning difficulty.

This book is packed with simple, effective tools to assist in the education of students with special education needs. They can be adapted to be used with young children and older learners with a range of educational needs, including nonverbal learners. Based on the author's years of teaching experience, the book covers how the classroom environment is laid out, how to use schedules and time planning aids, different education approaches and the teaching of social rules and appropriate behavior. All the visual supports are clearly explained alongside examples and photos showing them in use in the classroom. The supports are also included with the accompanying CD as blank templates.

This will be a welcome resource of easy-to-use ideas for mainstream and special education teachers. Therapists, parents and anyone working with students with learning difficulties will also find many of the ideas useful.

Author Notes

Lisa Rogers has been an educator for over 25 years, working with students with special and diverse needs. She has a Master's in Special Education and is the Director of Educating Diverse Learners, which works with educators, students, and their families, offering consultations, classroom support, and training in school districts. Lisa has created training products that have been used throughout the state of Texas and has produced state-wide courses targeting the importance of visual strategies for students with autism spectrum disorders. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Foreword	p. 13
Acknowledgements	p. 15
1 Why are Visual Supports so Effective?	p. 17
Evidence-based practices	p. 17
Neurological differences	p. 17
Visual processing	p. 18
Neurological stress	p. 19
Special interests and the brain	p. 21
Conclusion	p. 28
2 Building the Classroom Environment	p. 31
Physical structure in the real world	p. 32
Classroom structure	p. 32
Creating your ideal classroom	p. 48
Conclusion	p. 53
3 All about Schedules	p. 55
The connection between schedules and behavior	p. 55
Class schedules	p. 60
Individual schedules	p. 62
Companion Strategies	p. 73
Planning an individual schedule	p. 74
Home connections	p. 74
Teaching how to use the schedule	p. 76
Revising the schedule	p. 79
Conclusion	p. 81
4 Task Analysis through Mini-Maps	p. 83
Applied Behavioral Anaylsis (ABA)	p. 83
Mini-maps	p. 84
Conclusion	p. 100
5 Visual Supports for Instructional Success	p. 105
Changing the format of instructional activities	p. 105
Task organization and structure	p. 105
From worksheets to structured activities	p. 109
Graphic organizers as visual supports	p. 121
Technology as a visual support	p. 125
Academic choice and interests	p. 127
Peer supports	p. 128
Conclusion	p. 129
6 Visual Supports for Expressive Communication and Self-Advocacy	p. 131
Communication as a function of behavior	p. 131
Choice boards	p. 132
Extra break time cards	p. 137
Yes/no board	p. 139
Help cards	p. 140
Postive protest cards	p. 142
Scripts	p. 143
Topic cards	p. 143
Expressing feelings	p. 144
Communication systems	p. 145
Conclusion	p. 147
7 Visual Supports to Teach Social Skills	p. 149
Research findings on eye tracking and face perception	p. 149
Student profile for planning	p. 150
Narratives	p. 151
Writing an effective narrative	p. 152
Guidelines for writing narratives	p. 152
Presentation formats	p. 156
Narratives and interests	p. 161
Brief narratives	p. 163
A word about age appropriateness	p. 168
Making and using keychain rules	p. 168
Video modeling	p. 174
Video modeling in action	p. 175
Conclusion	p. 176
8 Visual Supports to Clarify Behavioral Expectations	p. 179
Clarifying expectations through visuals	p. 180
Positive behavior flip book	p. 180
Levels of talking chart	p. 184
Flip cards	p. 185
T-chart	p. 186
Blurt out cards	p. 187
Conclusion	p. 189
9 Building a Feelings Chart with Calming Strategies	p. 191
Feelings chart	p. 191
Calming strategies	p. 192
Conclusion	p. 200
10 Examples of Visual Supports in Action	p. 203
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)	p. 203
Data collection	p. 205
Visual supports in action	p. 206
Conclusion	p. 213
References	p. 217
Index	p. 221

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Table of Contents