SEPTEMBER 13, 2016
VCU AUTISM CENTER WEBCAST
USING VISUAL SUPPORTS TO TEACH
STUDENTS WITH ASD ACROSS ENVIRONMENTS
Services provided by:Caption First, Inc.
> TRACEY PHILLIPS: Hi. My name is Tracey Phillips, and I'm a level two educator with Stafford County Public Schools. We are presenting Using Visual Supports to Teach Students with ASD Across Environments. I will be presenting first and later on you'll hear from my colleagues Nancy Sorrentino and Amy Horne.
The purpose of visuals in your classroom. The following are just a few of the reasons you should use visuals in your classroom. One, to promote and aid communication. To aid instruction. To help promote and build independence, clarify boundaries, minimize auditory distractions and to create predictability and lessen anxiety.
When working with students with autism it is important to understand there are five levels of communication. They are as follows from highest to lowest: Verbal, students at this level are able to communicate and express themselves using words.
Written, these students understand written language and are able to write to communicate. Symbols. Students at this level are able to understand what symbols represent when communicating. Pictures. Students at this level require actual pictures of what it is you are trying to communicate.
And object level. These students are your lowest students and they require actual objects of what it is you are trying to communicate for them.
One of the reasons that it is important to understand levels of communication is that during stressful times students on the autism spectrum tend to regress one to two levels of their communication. For instance, a student who is a verbal student on a typical Kay during times of frustration or anxiety may regress to having to require symbols in order to communicate what he is thinking or feeling.
The classroom environment. Although the type of system that you use in your classroom will vary depending on the levels and needs of your students these are the areas that you want to consider when organizing your classroom. Physical organization, schedules and routines, work systems and visual structure. During my presentation I will be discussing physical organization, work systems and visual structure. Amy Horne will be talking about schedules and routines later on in the presentation.
Physical organization. When creating the areas within your room, you need to consider the needs of your students. We are going to look at a couple examples of different areas you may want to put in your classroom. These will all depend on what you feel meet the needs of your individual students. Independent work areas. Every student regardless of their ability level needs to have an independent work space. How this work space looks will depend on the level of your student. Some students may require a simple desk in the room. Other students may require a more structured environment like the one that is in this picture. You want to have a place where you can implement your direct individual instruction. This is my one to one station in my classroom. All of my students receive their direct instruction at this table. My students rotate through this station several times throughout the day. You really want to have a place where you can provide their instruction in an organized manner.
Group instruction. This is another area you really want to consider having in your classroom. It is an ideal time to teach students social skills and also work on behaviors such as sitting down, taking turns, and attending to a task.
Play area. Depending on the needs of your students, it may be completely appropriate to have a play area included in your classroom. Computer. Again, depending on the needs of your students it may be a nice area to have in your classroom where they can earn choice time or do individual work on the computer.
Reading corner. One of the reasons that I put this slide in the presentation is not only is it an area you really want to consider having in your classroom but it is a great example of using visuals to promote independence among your students. The teacher who used this system went through an leveled all of her books according to reading level and assigned each level a color: Blue, yellow, red. She gave each student an assigned color and she knew what color belonged to them. When she told them to pick a book for reading they were able to independently go to the bookshelf and find a book on their instructional level without bothering a teacher or asking for help.
Creating boundaries. It is important to have visual boundaries in your room so students have a better understanding of their environment. You can create physical boundaries in a variety of ways. All of the examples that I'm about to show create a visual boundary to help my students understand the separate spaces within my classroom.
Using furniture and walls. As you can see in this picture, I use a filing cabinet and two teacher desks to provide a secure defined space for these two individual students.
In this picture, the student in the back requires a more defined structured space. By using the walls that create the corner, I can give her an area where there is a lessened amount of visual and auditory distraction and it helps keep her calm when she is doing her independent work.
This shows an example of using a wardrobe closet to create a second wall. This also helps to create a nice space that separates two students who may interact with each other during independent work time. The shelf on the left also serves as a half wall and is a space where we can store her independent work activities.
Using maps. I love using maps in my classroom as a way to teach students specific space and where their personal space begins and ends. At group time this shows the students where they need to keep their materials and where they need to stay when they are working. It's a great idea to use at snack time so students aren't invading their peers' space. Tape on the floor. I use tape on the floor to create boundaries where I don't have something like furniture or a wall, so that students know where they need to stay in a selected space.
I will warn you that if you are going to use tape on a rug you want to pick it up once in awhile. After a few months it gets ingrained in the carpet and you want to make sure you can tear it off easily at the end of the year.
(Laughter.)
> TRACEY PHILLIPS: Lesson learned.
The students knows where he needs to stay during play time during his choice activity.
In this picture, you can see an example of how I used tape to show a student where his boundaries were at his independent work station. This student didn't need the structure of walls or furniture, but he did need to know where his space began and ended so that when he was doing his independent work he knew he couldn't wander the room.
This area here was for safety. This is an actual lane that my students use when they are using the scooter during choice time. I don't want my students wandering and using the scooter all over the classroom. This lane shows them exactly where they need to say to be safe while using the scooter.
Work systems give your students a visual strategy to approach the would, that needs to be done. Your students should be able to answer each of the following questions at all times during independent work stations: What work do I have to do? How much do I have to do? When will I know I am finished? And what do I do next?
It is important to note that when you are implementing work systems in your classroom, these are things that need to be taught to your students. It is not something that they will know how to use automatically right from the start. They need to be taught how to use a system effectively.
The first type of system is a written system. A written system can be something as simple as a checklist or a written list that a student goes down. These are examples. On the left is an example of a written schedule and checklist that also incorporates visuals. The one in the center bottom is a checklist that a student used to teach them the steps necessary to pack up at the end of the day.
Written file system. This is an excellent system to use for a higher functioning student. Different subject areas are labeled on the files in written form and when the student comes in, they know where to find the work that needs to be completed.
This picture shows another example of a file system, but instead of using written words the student is using a matching system. The student matches the symbol on the mini schedule located on their desk to the file folder that has the same number. This tells them what work they need to do at that particular time.
Here is another example of a matching system using drawers. Same system where the student matches the number on the mini schedule to the drawer. And that tells them what work needs to be completed at that independent work station.
This is another example of a matching system using drawers, but the drawers are larger. You may use bigger drawers for the students who don't have great fine motor skills or for those using hands-on materials to complete an activity. Here is an example of using bins as a matching system. The student will check the schedule and take the matching bin over to the bin and the work that is in the bin is the work they need to complete at that work station.
The left to right system is a system you would use for your lowest functioning students. These students that use the left to right system are just learning how to work independently in a classroom and may not be able to visually discriminate or match items at this time. They learn that the items that are placed to the left in a basket is the work that needs to be completed. When they are finished with the task they then place it in a bin or basket on the right. And anything that is in that left bin is what needs to be completed. When the bin is empty, the work is complete.
This is another example of a left to right system.
When doing work systems is important for a student to know when they are finished. This looks different depending on the level of system that you are using. For a written system, when everything on the list is checked off or removed they know they're complete. For a matching system, when all of the symbols or pictures that they are matching are gone and the list is empty, they know they are completed. On a left to right system, as I said earlier, when everything on the left is gone, they know they've done that completed task.
All these serve as a visual cue that the work has been completed. It is important for our students to know what do I do next. Many of the students on the spectrum don't know what to do with free time, or understand how to transition from one activity to the next. Using visuals to help with this is really important. By providing a visual of what happens next, it helps to lessen anxiety and serve as a motivator for completing the work. When possible, try to use visuals that are written picture object of activities that the student prefers or enjoys. On the right you see a simple first/then board. In the left column the first column, you see the work that needs to be completed. In the right column the then column, you can use a visual of a choice activity. In this particular situation I just put a blanket choice picture, but you can use something more specific to that student if it's appropriate.
What do I do next? At my individual work stations for my students I've created a little visual that says what do I do next? Then I put the picture of what comes next or their name plate telling them to check their schedule on that board. My students are taught when they complete their work they need to look up to the individual to find out what they need to do next.
Same thing at the one to one tables. You see down in the corner is another little word board that says what do I do next? There is a name plate that tells the student when she finishes her work she needs to check her schedule. You can use activities or choice pictures as well.
Visual structure. Having visual structure in your room provides a presentation of information for students to help them maneuver throughout the classroom and school and go through their day with as much independence as possible. It also gives clarity and organization to their day. Visuals designate various areas in your room and school.
Here is an example of using written words to organize classroom materials. By doing this, students know exactly where to find what they need throughout the school day and can be more independent rather than seeking out adults to help them get materials.
This is an example of a closet that I had in my classroom. All of my toys for choice activities are located inside that closet. The pictures outside represent the toys that are inside. I have a choice board in my classroom that also has matching pictures for each of those activities. When my students make a choice, they go to the choice board, select the picture they want and basically sign out the toy they are using by matching it to the picture on the door. This provides me a way of knowing what toys are out at any point during the day. It also makes the students responsible for choosing their own activities and then cleaning up at the end of their choice time.
When they are finished they have to put the toy away, remove the picture and put it back on the choice board.
Individual work areas. All of my individual work areas have those little bins that are designated by the arrow on the right-hand picture. All of my students are assigned a symbol at the beginning of the year. When they see that symbol on their schedule they know they have to report to their work station to complete a work task.
I also had those same bins for every activity area in my classroom. In this picture you can see the bins for the 1 one-on-one instruction table and group table. These bins have symbols or pictures on them to show that activity. They are also located on the students' individual schedules. When they see it on the schedule they need to take that picture and transition to that specific space in the classroom. This has really helped to decrease the amount of prompting and adult support during transitions in my classroom because my students know exactly where they need to go and what needs to be done in that area.
I also used those same bins for activities outside the classroom. My students know when they leave the room they need to put their specific picture from their schedule in one of these bins, letting us know where they are going at that particular time.
As well as being assigned a symbol my students are also assigned a color at the beginning of the year. This is extremely helpful for students who may not be able to recognize their own name or read. They are able to learn their specific color. When they see these name plates, they know that that represents them. I use these to be specific name plates for transitions throughout the day. I also use them for this lunch choice. My students know when they come in to find their color and make their specific lunch choice. But the name plates are used throughout the day whenever I need my students to check their schedule. They are handed a name plate and they know they need to go straight to their individual schedule to see what they are doing next. This decreases the noise and talking in my room because the students see the visual name plate instead of being prompted verbally to go check the school. It made a huge difference in my room as far as noise and independence with my students.
That is the end of my section. Now you will hear from Amy Horne who will be going over communications and schedules and routines.
> AMY HORNE: Hi, I'm Amy Horne, an autism coordinator at Stafford county public schools. I'll talk to you today about schedules and routines and then communications.
Schedules and routines are important in a classroom. They are visual cues that let the students know what activities occur and in what order. It creates predict ability, lessen anxiety and promote independence. Like Tracey talked about, you can use pictures, symbols or even a written schedule.
Object schedule is a selection of objects that visually represent an activity that is going to occur. For example, you would use a cup to represent snack. A fork for lunch. A paint brush for art, et cetera.