Visual Supports
Shaw, E., Meredith, K., & Hume, K. (2009). Visual
Supports. Chapel Hill: National Professional
Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders,
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, The
University of North Carolina.
Learning Objectives for Visual
Supports
As a result of this presentation, practitioners will:
1. describe the evidence that supports the use of visual
2.
3.
4.
5.
supports.
identify skills that can be promoted through the use of
visual supports.
explain the different types of visual supports and when
they might be used.
implement the steps of visual supports as intended.
discuss importance of fidelity of implementation and
progress monitoring when using visual supports.
Overview of Visual Supports
Definition: Any tool presented visually that
supports an individual as he/she moves through
the day
Includes: Pictures, written words, objects,
arrangement of the environment (visual
boundaries), schedules, maps, labels,
organization systems, timelines, and scripts
Visual Supports in Our
Everyday Lives
What do we know about visual
supports?
• Meets our EBP criteria with 13 single-subject
•
studies
Can be effectively implemented with learners
from early childhood through middle school with
autism and high functioning autism
 Early childhood settings: visual schedules to increase
task engagement, visual scripts to encourage social
interaction, and picture cues to support play skill
development
 Elementary and middles school: visual schedules and
pictures cues to reduce transition time, increase ontask behavior, and complete self-help in the home
What do we know about visual
supports?
• Skills and intervention goals that can be addressed
by visual supports include:
 Targeting adaptive behavior (e.g., task engagement,
independent performance, transitions across activities,
and increasing response chain length) Increasing skills
across curriculum areas: play skills, social interaction
skills, and social initiation
 Reducing self-injurious behavior
• May be used in classroom and home settings as
one component of comprehensive programming
Why are visual supports useful
for learners with ASD?
• Complete more tasks by themselves therefore
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increasing their independence
Learn more rapidly
Demonstrate decreased levels of frustration,
anxiety, and aggression related to task
completion
Adjust more readily to changes in their
environments (Savner & Myles, 2000)
Types of Visual Supports
• Visual Schedules
• Visual Boundaries
Step 1. Developing Visual Supports
for Individual Learners
• Determine what information should be presented
visually. What activity, event, or concept
 causes frustration and or anxiety,
 requires a great deal of adult support for
success, or
 is difficult for the learner to understand when
information verbally presented?
Step 1. Developing Visual Supports
for Individual Learners (cont.)
• Conduct an individual assessment of the
learner’s comprehension skills in order to
determine which form of visual representation
will work.
 Objects, photographs, drawings or picture
symbols, words, phrases/sentences, or
combination of the above
Step 2. Organizing Visual Supports
for Individual Learners
• Ensure that the selected visual support is
arranged, organized and in place prior to the
activity or event.
Step 3. Implementing Visual Supports
for Individual Learners
• Show learner the visual support
Step 3. Implementing Visual Supports
for Individual Learners (cont.)
• Teach learner to use the visual support:
 stand behind the learner when prompting
the use of the support
 use only relevant language (as few words as
necessary)
 assist learner in participating in activity/event
 fade prompts as soon as possible
Step 3. Implementing Visual Supports
for Individual Learners (cont.)
• Once student has learned how to use visual
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support, use minimal prompts
Use visual supports throughout the day
Prepare the learner for changes in activity or
event that requires the use of the visual support
Visual supports move with the learner across
settings or are located across settings
Collect data on how learner uses visual supports
(i.e., level of prompts, independence, types of
visual prompts used)
Overview of Visual
Boundaries
Definition: A type of visual support that includes
furniture arrangement, labeling, and color coding
to make the use of a particular space more
obvious
Visual Boundaries in Our
Everyday Life
Why are visual boundaries
useful for learners with ASD?
• Helps define for learner where things begin and
end.
• Helps define for learner areas that are
accessible without supervision.
• Provides meaning and context to an area or
environment.
Steps for
Implementation of
Visual Boundaries
Step 1. Define/Prioritize the Need
• Is there a safety concern?
• Does the learner have difficulty staying in one
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place?
Does the learner know what she/he is to be
working on in an area?
Does she/he leave a location because of
frustration?
Does the learner have difficulty with entering
others’ work spaces and/or making use of
others’ work or personal materials?
Think about your student…
• Select a location your student visits throughout
the day and describe some of elements of visual
boundaries that are in place or that you would
like to put in place.
 Consider what visual or physical boundaries
are needed
Step 2. Define the Boundary
• Establish where the visual boundary should be
• Use natural physical boundaries, objects, and
furniture
Step 3. Teach the Boundary
• Introduce learner to the boundary
• Use modeling to teach the learner to stay within
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the boundary
Model and use reinforcement when learner
stays within the boundary
Model and use corrective feedback when
learners do not stay within the boundary
Be consistent!
Step 4. Evaluate Success
• Collect data on learner’s use of boundaries
• Collect data on learners’ related target behaviors
• Make data-based decisions regarding the
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effectiveness of the intervention
Monitor on-going effectiveness and impact of
intervention on learner behaviors
Process for Determining
the Best Evidencebased Practice
Let’s suppose this is our
goal…
Goal:
John will improve his ability to independently
transition from one activity to another throughout
the school day.
Related Objective:
John will increase his engagement in the task
during an activity.
How do we decide which EBP to
use?
Let’s say we know this…
• John is in a self-contained preschool setting.
• John is handed an object to transition
between all activities.
• John has shown that he is able to match
objects to pictures.
How do we decide which EBP to
use?
Ask: What is our objective targeting?
• Transition, adaptive behavior (independence)
Ask: What are our options?
How do we decide which EBP to
use?
Next, make a decision based on:
• your professional wisdom,
• the learner’s learning style,
• the learner’s temperament,
• the learner’s interests and motivators,
• supports already in place, and
• history of what has and hasn’t worked.
How do we decide which EBP to
use?
So, let’s say we decide to try…
Visual Schedules
What does this look like for John?
Steps for
Implementation of
Visual Schedules
Step 1. Overall Classroom/
Environment Schedules
• Display an overall classroom/environment
schedule with staff and learner assignments
 Location of displayed schedule
 Format of the schedule (e.g. pictures, words,
combination)
 How/when will overall schedule be used
Step 2. Developing Individual
Schedules
• Conduct an individualized assessment of
learner’s (1) comprehension level, (2) attention
span, and (3) sequencing abilities in order to
select the appropriate:
 form of representation,
 schedule length and presentation format,
 method of manipulating the schedule,
 location of the schedule, and
 method to initiate schedule use.
Forms
• Functional objects used in
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activities
Object that is symbolic of
activity
• Photograph
• Photograph with words
Forms
• Drawing or picture
symbol with words
• Word
• Phrase or sentence
Schedule Length/Presentation
• One item – signifies
upcoming transition
• Two items (left to right
or top to bottom)
• Three to four items
(left to right or top to
bottom)
Schedule Length/Presentation
• Half day (left to right or
top to bottom)
Teacher
Art
Lunch
Computer
Library
• Full day (left to right or
top-to-bottom)
Method of Manipulating
Schedule
• Learner carries an object to be used in
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upcoming activity
Learner caries an object/visual cue and it is
matched in the corresponding location
Learner turns over visual schedule cue/puts cue
in a finished location when activity completed
Learner marks off visual cue on schedule as
completed
Location of Schedule
• Schedule information is brought to the learner.
• Schedule is stationary at a central location.
• Portable schedule.
Initiating Use of Visual
Schedules
• Schedule information is brought to the learner
• Learner moves to the schedule using a visual
transition cue
Step 2. Developing the Visual
Schedule
• Additional elements may be added to visual
schedules as necessary such as:
 Color coding
 Times
 Alignment with school bells
 Motivational components (e.g., pictures of
favorite characters) or
 Behavior cues (reminders about specific
expectations)
Step 3. Organize Visual Schedule
for Learners
• Arrange the learner’s daily schedule and related
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elements for the learner either prior to the
learner’s arrival or with the learner
Ensure that visual transition cues are in place, if
appropriate
Ensure that the classroom/school areas are
visually labeled with matching schedule
components
Step 4. Implement Visual
Schedules
• Give learner a visual cue to transition to the
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schedule or bring schedule information to
learner
Teach the learner how to transition to the
schedule with a visual cue and/or how to
transition to location with schedule information
Minimize prompts once learner has learned how
to use the schedule
Have learner use schedule consistently
throughout the day
Step 4. Implement Visual
Schedules
• Visual transition cue use is consistent
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throughout the day
Prepare the learner for changes in scheduled
activities
Individual schedules move with learner across
settings or elements of visual schedules are
located across settings
Use a data collection system to record learners
use of visual schedules
Visual Schedules: Examples
Visual Supports: Take Home Points
• Visual supports must be age appropriate and
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individualized.
Visual supports will have different forms, lengths,
presentations, locations, and methods of
manipulation based on individual needs.
Visual supports may be used in all settings and
across environments.
Visual supports should be used consistently,
implemented with fidelity, and monitored through
data collection to determine effectiveness.