Connections

Pictures aid communication development

By Allison O'Toole

Speech Language Pathologist Rachel Coppin, who works almost exclusively with children who have autism spectrum disorder, incorporates visual supports into her students’ curriculum.

Visual supports give students with autism freedom of expression and opportunity for independence, as well as a chance to become more verbal and expand their knowledge of the world.

Using visual supports with a child who has autism allows communication to occur on a verbal and nonverbal level. “The idea is that using visual supports helps nonverbal students learn expressively as well as receptively,” Coppin said.
By using pictures, objects, or picture symbols, some students can communicate more effectively. Coppin uses many digital photos of items as well as people and places.

Pictures can be presented on fixed display or Velcro boards, mounted within the environment, or put into a communication book. The pictures may include foods, toys, scheduled tasks, or even locations around the community students may wish to visit. “[The students] have an influence of what happens to them,” said Coppin.

Students should have access to visual supports at each area they spend their day, but depending on the location, the pictures may be different. The pictures available should depend on whether the student’s focus should be leisure, educational, or vocational “They have to do their work, but they can choose the order,” Coppin said about students using vocational visual supports.

Coppin emphasizes that all children within the autism spectrum are different and the way a book or board is put together depends on the child.

Visual supports can remind students where they should be or what they should be doing. By giving a student a card with a picture, it is a scheduling cue.

Transition cards are used to aid a student in remembering where they are supposed to be in their schedule. “It could be a person, place, or object they can identify with,” Coppin said. “It might be my face.”

Nonverbal students can also use the cards to indicate their wants and needs. “Visual supports help [students] become more independent,” said Coppin.

More than just one word responses, children can learn to create full sentences with their cards, helping increase literacy, improving vocabulary, and more. The basic phrases “I am going to,” “it’s time for,” “I hear,” “I see,” and “give me the” combined with the other pictures help nonverbal as well as verbal children learn language concepts.

While using pictures can help any child, repetition is the key. Using books with repeating lines allows them to identify with an image. “Some of the kids have become more verbal and can read along,” Coppin said.

One of Coppin’s favorite ways to interact with students is using games. “Games are just one more way of teaching,” she said. “I learn a lot of what they know and don’t know.” She added that games are a good way to find out what each child is capable of and measure progress.