Hi everyone.
I hope everyone is well. Our pupils use lots of visuals throughout their school day and they are used to support learning and understanding, helping them to make sense of the world.
The Benefits of Using Visuals-
- they help us communicate and help our communications be understood
- they let us see what is being asked and what is being said
- they help us make and communicate choices
- they can reduce anxiety
- they increase predictability
- they can increase participation and engagement in activities
Some visuals may be useful for you to use at home particularly if your child is having difficulty coping with how different everyday life is at the moment.
A child who benefits from routine and knowing the order of the day might use a visual calendar or schedule to familiarise themselves with upcoming activities or events. A child who struggles with transitions such as leaving his/her home, moving on from an activity might find pictures illustrating the appropriate steps helpful.
Below are some examples of visual resources which can be tailored to your individual needs. If there is anything you would like to try at home then please send me an email and I will get these organised as quickly as possible – limara.thomas@eastayrshire.org.uk
If you would like to know about any particular resources that your child uses in class then this can be discussed at your weekly check-in’s.
DAILY/VISUAL TIMETABLE – a series of pictures or symbols to communicate a sequence of activities. They provide structure and improve understanding of what is happening over a specific period of time. Allows individuals to anticipate events and helps understanding of time, routine and expectations. Can be used for parts of a day or a full day.
ROUTINES – a series of pictures or symbols showing specific steps during a specific activity or routine. These improve understanding and also encourage independence.
x
FIRST AND THEN BOARDS – one of the simplest forms of visual schedule presenting what we are doing now (FIRST) and what we will do next (THEN). They are used to help individuals understand what is happening, helps them focus on an activity, especially if it is a less desirable one and can help transitions from one activity to the next.
CHOICE BOARDS – a visual tool that allow pupils to make and communicate choices between activities, items or tasks. They can have a choice of 2 or more, whatever is most suitable and can use photos or symbols.
EMOTIONS – these visuals can help pupils communicate how they are feeling since many find it difficult to express their emotions.
ZONES OF REGULATION – a cognitive behavioural approach used to teach self-regulatory skills using symbols and colours. If they are in the red zone, what can they do to get back to the green zone and feel happy again?
INDEPENDENCE SKILLS – a series of symbol steps to encourage understanding and independence to complete activities, tasks or routines. These can be broken down for any task and into as many steps as needed.
SYMBOL RECIPES – recipes which are broken into small steps and have symbol supported text to encourage comprehension and independence of functional skills.
TOKEN BOARDS – a system that rewards desired behaviours and allows pupils to work for a motivating item or activity. Pupils can choose the reward from a choice board. The number of tokens can vary according to the individual.
Please have a look in the Album section of the Hillside Family Help and Hugs! Facebook page for more examples or get in touch for advice.
There is also a variety of resources and guidance to support learning at home from Education Scotland and The National Autism Implementation Team.
https://www.thirdspace.scot/nait/education-resources/
I hope these are helpful. Please let me know if you would like more information. Visuals which are relevant and appropriate for our wee people really can help!
Limara
