Many students, regardless of where they fall on the spectrum, need some kind of visual supports.  The reason for visual supports is due to communication and processing disorders.  Children on the spectrum process at a slower rate, typically twenty seconds longer than most neuro-typical children.  Children with autism face challenges such as using language, using words creatively, using imagination, and, later, thinking abstractly. 

Visual supports help children in several ways.  Visual supports are apart of daily communication and can also help lessen anxiety.  Children with autism can have high anxiety when they are unsure of what is going to happen next or what is to be expected of them.  There are several different visual approaches today to help a child on the spectrum.  The following visual approaches can range from simple and inexpensive or free everyday materials to expensive and high tech tools.

1. PECS stands for the Picture Exchange Communication System.  PECS is an augmentative communication system developed to help individuals quickly acquire a functional means of communication (Bondy and Frost, 1994). PECS is appropriate for individuals who do not use speech or who may speak with limited effectiveness: those who have articulation or motor planning difficulties, limited communicative partners, lack of initiative in communication, etc. 

 

2. Boardmaker is a graphics database containing over 3,500 Picture Communication Symbols that can be used to create a variety of communication materials.  This computer program is available, at some cost, to create visual schedules and communication boards. 

 

3. Other ways to create simple and inexpensive visual tools is by taking pictures or even using actual objects.  Children with ASD experience tremendous difficulty in processing language, but processing and understanding visual supports is easier for them (Rao, Gagie, 2006).