Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy Topic Feed

Visual Schedules for Use with Autism

PWSMom — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:44:58 +0000

Body:

What is it?

A visual schedule is a set of pictures that communicates a series of activities or the steps of a specific activity ^{(1, 2)}. Visual schedules are meant to help children understand and manage the daily events in their lives ⁽³⁾. Visual schedules may be created using photographs, pictures, written words, or physical objects. Ideally, they communicate clear expectations for the child and decrease the need for constant adult involvement in the activity ⁽⁴⁾. Most visual schedules are introduced with adult guidance that gradually decreases with time ⁽³⁾. They can be used in speech therapy, at school, and at home ^{(1, 4, 5)}.

What's it like?

Schedules may be placed into notebooks or on a schedule board, or also presented with the aid of or on computers. The figure below represents an example visual schedule for the last portion of a child’s school day.

When designing a visual schedule, consider the following questions ⁽²⁾:

Will the child understand or recognize the pictures or words?
Is the activity represented by the visual schedule obvious to the child?
Can the schedule be made clearer by the use of words, more images, or objects?
Does the child know and have available the tools required to successfully complete the activity?

What is the theory behind it?

Children with autism frequently have trouble paying attention to, adapting to, and understanding auditory input. They also tend to have strengths in rote memory and the ability to understand visual information ⁽⁶⁾. Visual schedules take advantage of these strengths by efficiently communicating information that allows children to better predict and plan within their environment ^{(2, 3, 7)}. Some children with autism benefit from the use of computers to generate and present visual schedules, and may prefer getting visual schedule information directly from a computer rather than from a person ⁽⁸⁾.

Most behavioral problems associated with children with autism seem to stem from poor communication ⁽²⁾. While visual schedules can be useful at home, they may be especially useful for children transitioning into a school environment ^{(4, 7)}. Visual schedules facilitate communication and therefore may minimize behavioral problems ^{(3, 4)}.

Does it work?

Many studies have demonstrated that visual schedules are effective in helping developmentally disabled, and specifically, autistic children. These studies show visual schedules to be effective in helping children to gain independence and increase on-task behavior at school, at home, and in community settings ^{(1, 2, 6, 7)}. In younger children, this can translate into improved play skills, and a decrease in disruptive and aggressive behavior ^{(5, 7)}. Specifically, use of visual schedules has been associated with a decrease in disruptive behavior, aggression, tantrums, and property destruction ⁽¹⁾.

In older children, use of visual schedules can enhance learning and improve a child's ability to perform the skills required for daily living ^{(1, 3, 4, 6, 7)}. Visual schedules have also been effectively used to improve physical activity in a physical education setting ⁽⁷⁾. With time, some children are able to independently use visual schedules to achieve on-task behavior and self-management without supervision ^{(3-5, 7)}.

The most effective way to use visual schedules is to have them readily available and used consistently ⁽⁷⁾. Most children seem to enjoy the use of schedules and appear to be excited to see what will be coming next ^{(3, 4)}. This enthusiasm has been shown to translate into increased peer to peer interactions ^{(3, 4)}.

Is it harmful?

There are no reports of visual schedules being harmful.

Cost

Visual schedules can be included as a component of speech therapy ⁽¹⁾. The cost of speech therapy is covered by the government through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The amount of speech therapy provided in this setting may be suboptimal and may need to be supplemented with private therapy. Private speech therapy can be expensive (approximately $100/hour).

Activity schedules can be designed and made at home inexpensively, and are easy to transport ⁽⁵⁾. They can be made by hand on note cards by drawing or gluing cut-out pictures from magazines. They can also be made on the computer using clipart and the PowerPoint ^TM program.

When used at home, visual schedules require an initial parental investment of time. With time, the child should achieve an improved ability for self-management and should require less parental supervision.

Resources

Healing Thresholds has partnered with Natural Learning Concepts. They sell several visual schedules that can be used at home.

Healing Thresholds has also partnered with Flag House. Flag House sells computer software for creating customized visual schedules, communication display boards such as worksheets, picture instruction sheets, reading books, journals, posters, and more.

Clipart can be used to generate homemade schedules. One source of clip art is the Graphics Factory: http://www.graphicsfactory.com/.

A book that may be useful:

Activity Schedules for Children With Autism: Teaching Independent Behavior by Lynn E. McClannahan and Patricia J. Krantz. 1999. Woodbine House Publishers.

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References

Visuals for Communication & Adapting Behavior

Jean — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:20:06 +0000

As a special education teacher visuals were high on the priority list with me and our educational assistants for communication, adapting behavior and scheduling. What a difference visuals can make in someones life and for everyone supporting them. I too used happy & not so happy faces :) , :I and :(

This also became a great method for one young man with autism to self evaluate his own work. He rated himself on every activity/project he did and he was so honest in his evaluations! This visual notation on his work schedule would then remind him of how well he had done or that he needed more effort the next time. When using a visual schedule created with a series of cards (velcro) we had an assortment of "faces cards" Later when he had a written work schedule there was a self evaluation column where he drew the appropriate face. We also evaluated his work with the same visual notation, noting when our evaluations were the same as his, which was most frequent!

Case Report: Color as a Therapeutic Intervention

scottie — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:27:51 +0000

Title	Case Report: Color as a Therapeutic Intervention
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Ludlow, AK, Wilkins AJ
Journal Title	Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	39
Issue	5
Pages	815-818
URL for Abstract	http://www.springerlink.com/content/d0l6606x32pt0673/
Teaser	Colored lenses that filter out certain colors may help visual processing and reading skills for people with autism.
Full Text	Colored lenses that filter out certain colors may help visual processing and reading skills for people with autism. This case report describes a 10-year-old boy with autism who was sensitive to artificial lights, strobe lights, and reflected light. He also suffered headaches and nausea in response to certain colors of walls, food, and clothing. The authors allowed the child to choose a colored film that was placed over a page for him to read. He chose the color purple, and he was able to read faster right away with the purple overlay. He also said that he could see the words more clearly. When the boy wore glasses with purple tint all the time, he had fewer problems with headaches and nausea.

Using Structured Work Systems to Promote Independence and Engagement for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

scottie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:23:48 +0000

Title	Using Structured Work Systems to Promote Independence and Engagement for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	Carnahan, CR, Hume K, Clarke L, Borders C
Journal Title	Teaching Exceptional Children
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	41
Issue	4
Pages	6-14
URL for Abstract	/sites/default/files/editor/Work%20Systems%282%29.pdf
Teaser	TEACCH-structured work systems may help school children with autism learn to work independently.
Full Text	TEACCH-structured work systems may help school children with autism learn to work independently. The therapy program called the Treatment and Education of Autism and Communication-handicapped Children (TEACCH) is used in schools and special education programs to help children with autism. One part of TEACCH is using work systems to help children with autism gradually learn to do things themselves. Work systems are a visual system of organizing tasks and clearly showing what the child is asked to do. This article describes how work systems can be used in the classroom. Specific examples are discussed.

Assistive Technology in the Classroom Helps Children with Autism

scottie — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:38:55 +0000

Teaser:

Body:

Assistive technology helps busy teachers in their classrooms with children with autism. Classroom teachers are busy all day long and may have difficulty documenting every issue and behavior that arises in the classroom. Selective Archiving is a tool that allows the teacher to record classroom events and then review the video at the end of the day. Another assistive classroom tool is Visual Scheduler (vSked). vSked takes children with autism through their day using a touch screen. They answer questions that include knowing the day of the week, the month, the weather outside, and "other things a teacher might ask in a typical elementary school classroom"

Read original article.

Picture-Based Communications on the iPhone/iPod

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:29:02 +0000

Hi there,

My name is Dan, and my wife Carey and I are parents to a four-year-old boy (with autism) and a two-year-old girl (neurotypical). Both of our kids are adorable and keep us laughing!

Our son is verbal, though his expressive language is weak and he struggles with sensory processing, particularly in new environments. We were turned on to picture-based communication aids by the Connecticut Birth to Three system -- laminated strips of pictures, notebooks, magnet boards, etc.

These tools worked. They helped Evan a good deal. Unfortunately, though, they weren't the most "workable" solution. Carrying around notebooks and boards is inconvenient. We'd lose the symbols, or not have the right one on hand when needed.

So, we invented an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that lets caregivers customize and present visual schedules, social stories, timers and choices -- all right there in the palm of your hand. It's called iPrompts -- check it out at http://www.iprompts.com. We've gotten some incredible feedback about it. Hope it helps!

- Dan

When “Simon Says” Doesn’t Work: Alternatives to Imitation for Facilitating Early Speech Development

scottie — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 15:02:37 +0000

Title	When “Simon Says” Doesn’t Work: Alternatives to Imitation for Facilitating Early Speech Development
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	DeThorne, LS, Johnson CJ, Walder L, Mahurin_Smith J
Journal Title	American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Year of Publication	2009
Volume	18
Issue	2
Pages	133-145
URL for Abstract	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18930909?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Full Text	Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and other methods may help children with autism learn to speak. Some children with autism do not imitate the sounds of others. For these children, several speech therapy methods may help them learn to speak. AAC is often the first strategy to help them learn enough communication to be able to have some social interactions. There are five other methods that may also help these children: 1) avoid pressuring children to speak, and use puppets and play as encouragement instead; 2) imitate the child and they may start imitating others; 3) use exaggerated sounds and speak slowly; 4) use visual feedback and touch to help teach skills; and 5) add exercises for mouth movements that are specific to speech.

Tennessee Teacher Receives National Autism Society's Teacher of the Year Award

scottie — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:50:46 +0000

Teaser:

Heather Conditt, a kindergarten teacher in Tennessee, knew she would have a six-year old boy with autism in her classroom.

Body:

Heather Conditt, a kindergarten teacher in Tennessee, knew she would have a six-year old boy with autism in her classroom. Since she had not worked with children with autism before, she let Jake teach her. Conditt learned that consistency and structure were important to Jake and she learned that a visual schedule helped him anticipate each activity during the day. Jake loves social stories and loves to use the classroom computer. His attendance at a regular kindergarten, with help from Conditt and his aide, has improved his socialization and his speech skills.

Read original article.

Effects of Verbal Cues versus Pictorial Cues on the Transfer of Stimulus Control for Children with Autism

scottie — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:24:09 +0000

Title	Effects of Verbal Cues versus Pictorial Cues on the Transfer of Stimulus Control for Children with Autism
Publication Type	Journal Article
Authors	West, EA
Journal Title	Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Year of Publication	2008
Volume	23
Issue	4
Pages	229-241
URL for Abstract	http://foa.sagepub.com/cgi/content/short/23/4/229
Full Text	Picture cues during therapy may help children with autism learn and perform tasks. Children with autism learn to independently perform tasks by getting instruction from others, and then moving to cues or reminders of what they are supposed to do. Verbal and picture cues have been used during therapy to help the children work by themseleves as they learn a task. This study looked to see which worked better: picture cues or verbal cues. The study also tested whether the learning lasted and was generalized over several therapy sessions. Four children (3-6 years old) were taught a new task using the two different cues during several therapy sessions. Three children learned a task using the visual cues, while the fourth child was successful with verbal cues. The results showed that most of the children with autism were good at learning from pictures.

Memory Aids Help Students with Autism

scottie — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:09:22 +0000

Teaser:

Memory aids for most of us include alarm clocks, kitchen timers, and calendars, but for children with autism, memory aids may need to be more visual and tactile.

Body:

Memory aids for most of us include alarm clocks, kitchen timers, and calendars, but for children with autism and other developmental disabilities, memory aids may need to be more visual and tactile. Children may respond well to visual schedules, which help keep them organized and provide structure to daily events. Other interventions to jog a child's memory include picture symbols, voice-output, and picture boards. Parents can create visual schedules themselves or find assistance through companies like Adaptivation and Enablemart.

Read original article.