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Visual supports in the Community
jlaporte
6/6/2017 8:08 PM
Even students with robust and complex communication skills still benefit from the use of visual supports in the community. Carryover of skills taught in the classroom can be a very challenging component of teaching new communication skills. Even with extensive practice and drilling, some students may still demonstrate difficultly with carryover of skills. Visual supports can be very beneficial for students in the community. Not only do they have decrease prompting from staff, but then also help fostering increased independence with communication. Even non-verbal communications with a very limited vocabulary can communicate independently in the community with the use of visual supports.
Menu: A visual menu can be great for all students to use! You can make the menu specific to the restaurant you are going to in the community. I use Boardmaker or a word document, but really anything will do. Student’s can look at the menu before leaving and select what they would like off the menu and once at the restaurant they can hand the visual menu to the cashier or waiter to place their order. A menu can also be a visual prompt for a student using an AAC device or their voice to order thus decreasing staff prompting. I always give all my students the opportunity to use the menu independently before stepping in. Make sure the menu you provide matches your student’s or child’s ability.
Schedule: Many student’s benefit from the use of a visual schedule (see attached). Schedules can look very different depending on your student, but all serve the purpose of laying out the overall expectations of the community outing. They can be simple or very detailed as long as them help the student. Not only does this provide organization of the student, but also provides communication opportunities for the student. It allows them to ask questions about their schedule or comment on it using their form of communication. I found this has helped to decrease behaviors for some of my students. The students were demonstrating inappropriate behaviors in the community because they were feeling anxious about not knowing the schedule or routine of the community outing and had no way to communicate that feeling with those around them. However, having this visual representation of the routine helped easy that anxiety thus the inappropriate behaviors when they were unable to communicate their feelings.
Communication Boards: I always carry at least 1-2 communication boards with me in the community. These boards serve as a back-up communication system or as a quick resource in a pinch. It quickly allows a student to access some basic core vocabulary. Again, it can also act as a visual prompt for the student. For example, put ‘hello’ on the communication board then point (gesture prompt) to it when it is time for the student to greet a community member using the communication system or a gesture. This helps to decrease the amount of verbal prompting used with the student.
Yes/No Boards: A yes/no board or strip are great for a student to have access to in the community especially for fringe vocabulary. You can also quickly assess comprehension of something if the child demonstrates mastery of yes/no. Yes/No is also great to use in the moment of a communication breakdown or with inappropriate behaviors due to difficulty communicating.
This is just a very small snapshot of different types of visual supports. Any of these can be made or adapted to meet the needs of your student. Be creative and don’t be afraid to try a few different things with your student. For example, try a vertical and horizontal visual schedule and see which one your student responds best to. Also, I’ve also had success using visual scripts to facilitate communication with community members. These methods are not meant to be a permanent form of communication, but rather a stepping stone.
If you have examples of what has worked for your student’s please comment below!
Attached to this post are examples of the mentioned visual supports.
Social,Information,Attracts attention,Makes choices,Requests a new action,Greets people,Requests absent object,Polite social forms,Speech-Language Pathologist,Educator,Intervention Strategies
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Statement A
My child doesn't seem to have real control over his body yet.
The only way I know that he wants something is because he fusses or whines when he's unhappy or uncomfortable, and he smiles, makes noises or calms down when he's happy and comfortable. Does this statement describe your child?
Statement B
My child has control over her own behaviors, but she doesn't use them to try to communicate to me.
She doesn't come to me to let me know what she wants, but it's easy for me to figure out, because she tries to do things for herself. She knows what she wants, and her behavior shows me what she wants. If she runs out of something to eat, she will just try to get more, rather than trying to get me to give her more.
Does this statement describe your child?
Statement C
My child clearly tries to communicate his needs to me through gestures, sounds or language.
He knows how to get me to do something for him. He uses some of the kinds of behaviors below to communicate:
- Gestures such as pointing, shaking his head, tugging at my arm or looking back and forth between me and what he wants
- Sounds such as squealing to show you he wants something or fussing when he doesn't want something
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How to score your child
Each question you will see is related to a certain message that your child might be able to express using a variety of behaviors. Read the question and decide whether your child is able to express the message described using any of the listed behaviors. If the answer is YES, then you must also decide whether your child has mastered the use of each behavior or whether it is still at an emerging stage. Check either the mastered or emerging box next to any behaviors your child uses to express the message. Use the following definitions to decide whether a behavior is mastered or emerging
Mastered
– Does this independently most of the time when the opportunity arises
– Does this in a number of di erent contexts, and with di erent people
Emerging
– Does this inconsistently
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Only does this when prompted or encouraged to do so. Only does this in one or two contexts or with one person.
Tips on Communication Devices
Each question you will see is related to a certain message that your child might be able to express using a variety of behaviors. Read the question and decide whether your child is able to express the message described using any of the listed behaviors. If the answer is YES, then you must also decide whether your child has mastered the use of each behavior or whether it is still at an emerging stage. Check either the mastered or emerging box next to any behaviors your child uses to express the message. Use the following definitions to decide whether a behavior is mastered or emerging