Visual+tools

Communication is a tool some of us take for granted. It’s something we don’t often think about but just do as part of our every day life. But for some, like children with autism, communication is a tool with which they struggle.

A resource I found which looks like a great tool to help with communication at school for a child with autism is on this website: []

There are many documents on this website which provide some useful resources to use if you were to have a child in your class with autism. One in particular, which I found very good, was the document called ‘Using visuals’. It shows how to communicate activities to the student by using visuals to explain every day classroom activities such as class circle time or recess time. These visuals are instructions that the child with autism understands and can follow, similar to the other students in the class. (icommunicate, 2010). It can be used like a timetable for the student. By putting the activities in the order which the class is going to do them each day allows the student to know where they are meant to be after they finish the activity they are doing. (icommunicate, 2010). A variation to this which I have heard being used from a family member who is a teacher is to have emotions stuck on their desk so they can communicate how the are feeling. For example if something was wrong and they felt sad they would point to the sad face. This indicates to the class teacher the emotion the child is feeling therefore allows them to better know how to deal with it.

Reference: icommunicate speech and communication therapy. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.icommunicatetherapy.com/resources/downloads-centre/document-downloads/cat_view/22-autistic-spectrum-disorders

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Children with autism often have difficulty with verbal and written communication. Teachers need to provide alternatives for these students in order to successfully convey instructions and knowledge. Children with autism respond well to visual stimuli such as colours, pictures and symbols. Using such visual tools to give students information can help reduce confusion and enhance their understanding (Quill, 1995). Large amounts of written information should be avoided and text should always be accompanied by some kind of visual support. A great program to assist with providing pictures to support any written information is Pix Writer. Teachers can use this program for a variety of different purposes such as creating worksheets, visual schedules, homework, to-do lists, labels and assessment tasks. The program contains a vast selection of pictures which relate to common words. As each word is written, the program inserts the corresponding picture. If a word cannot be matched, the user can insert their own picture to match that word. Pix Writer allows teachers to easily alter regular worksheets to make them more accessible to students with autism. The teacher can include a table of possible answers on the worksheets which again are represented in words and pictures. The student can then circle their desired response instead of writing the answer. The program can also be used in conjunction with an interactive whiteboard, ipad or regular computer. Activities which are represented in words, pictures and sounds can be created for students to complete. A table of possible answers can be provided at the bottom of the activity which too can include a word with an associative picture and sound. Students can press and drag their desired response to answer the question or complete the activity. Teachers can apply this program when presenting information or an activity using the interactive whiteboard. Not only does it benefit students with disabilities, but the whole class as well.

Here is a link to resources already created with the Pix Writer program. These include worksheets, schedules, activities and poems.Pix Writer Resources

Reference: Quill, K. (1995). //Teaching children with autism: strategies to enhance communication and socialization. // Thompson Learning: U.S.A

By Monika Burzynski: u3041658