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This section features resources on visual supports, essential tools that help students with disabilities understand expectations, routines, and academic content. Visual supports, such as schedules, task charts, and picture cues, provide clear, concrete representations of information, making it easier for students to process and follow instructions. These tools are especially beneficial for students with autism and other communication or cognitive challenges, helping them navigate their learning environment more independently and with reduced anxiety. In addition, this section provides some resources to assist paraprofessionals in creating customized visual supports tailored to the specific needs of their students.
Chalkboard Superhero
Chalkboard Superhero
Special educator, mom, blogger, and podcaster, Lisa Holladay hosts Chalkboard Superhero where she shares ideas and resources for supporting students with special needs. In addition to providing some great ideas for using visual supports, her website offers free downloads, links to podcast episodes, and interesting short reads on many topics related to special education. She sells subscriptions for her task boxes, but there are so many free resources here, as well.
Noodle Nook: Adapting and Modifying with Visuals for Special Ed
Noodle Nook: Adapting and Modifying with Visuals for Special Ed
Ayo Jones, a special educator and professional developer, shares some foundational information about the difference between adaptations and modifications. Then, she shares several ideas for adapting our instruction and classrooms using visuals.
Visual Supports at UF CARD
Visual Supports at UF CARD
This website offers a variety of suggestions for how to use visual supports with students who have Autism, though they can be equally effective with other students with a wide variety of needs. Check out the first video to see examples of visual supports used by parents and caregivers. It includes simple visual supports to help students keep track of the passage of time and the order in which events can be expected. Visual supports can make spoken information easier to understand and can help ease anxiety and the stress of transitioning between activities. Though the CARD center serves Florida, they have invited us to share their information with you, so please feel free to reach out to them.
Autism Speaks: ATN/AIR-P Visual Supports and Autism
Autism Speaks: ATN/AIR-P Visual Supports and Autism
Autism Speaks at Vanderbilt University received federal grant money to design a Visual Supports Toolkit and other resources to support people with autism and their educators and families. There are several videos about using visual supports, as well as a guide to how to use a first-then board and a visual schedule, as well as how to set parameters using visual supports. The step-by-step guides and the links to picture resources will help you make your own tools for working with students with autism and tools to give to your students.
The AFIRM website offers a variety of modules on topics of interest to those working with students with Autism and others who need additional support for academics and behavior. Though you will need to create an account, the courses and resources are completely free. The Visual Supports module is a great place to start. It is broken up into 6 segments and should take 2 hours or less to complete. If you work with students who do not communicate by speaking or who are learning to express themselves through speech, you may find the module on the Picture Exchange Communication System a good next step. It should take about 3 hours and can be completed in multiple sessions. For any AFIRM module, you can click Start Certificate Track at the bottom of the screen before beginning the module if you would like to earn a certificate you can show your employer.
Sam, A., & AFIRM Team. (2015). Visual supports. Chapel Hill, NC: National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder, FPG Child Development Center, University of North Carolina. Retrieved from https://afirm-modules.fpg.unc.edu/Visual-Supports/content/#/
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