The Effectiveness of Visual Supports for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This issues of NASET’s Autism Spectrum Disorder series was written by Sofia M. Borron. A review of literature was completed for articles to evaluate the result of using visual supports for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children with ASD may display varied social and behavior challenges that affect transitions. Four different research articles that have been peer-reviewed and are academic journals assess the effectiveness of visual prompts for students with ASD.

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Abstract

A review of literature was completed for articles to evaluate the result of using visual supports for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Children with ASD may display varied social and behavior challenges that affect transitions. Four different research articles that have been peer-reviewed and are academic journals assess the effectiveness of visual prompts for students with ASD.

Introduction

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), can become upset when there is a change in routine. Many children with ASD have communicative disorders that cause frustration and need support to prevent frequent tantrums. According to the research, students with ASD have difficulty processing situations and tend to be more visual rather than auditory learners. This information allows educators to know that they need to implement visuals for many different situations to assist students with ASD. This support can be individualized per student and there are a variety of ways that are proven to be effective. Visual support allows the students with ASD understand and predict change in their environment so they can have a more positive experience at school. The articles found all indicate the different types of visual support that can aid attention and independence for the students. These supports can include photographs, drawings, objects, videos, or timers. The online database at Florida International University confirmed that the articles reviewed were all considered academic journals and peer-reviewed.

Literature Review

The Use of Visual Supports to Facilitate Transitions of Students with Autism

The use of visual supports are implemented to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to assist in a variety of settings. The study conducted included two male children aged 5 and 7, who were both diagnosed with ASD by licensed medical and clinical professionals. The study followed an experimental design. The experiment allowed researchers to confirm whether or not the use of visual supports assists children with ASD. Data was collected by observers by writing down the number of times behaviors occurred (Dettmer, Simpson, Myles, & Ganz, 2000).

One of the students in the study who was 7 years old at the time of the study, had limited communication that mostly consisted of echolalia. When the visuals prompts were used he then spoke in full sentences. The visual schedule was then taken away from the student and the student reacted by being physically aggressive and using one word to communicate his wants. The student was then reintroduced with the visual schedule and then communicated using 3word utterances. The student who was 5 years old at the time of the study, was having difficulty transitioning between educational activities. A visual timer was introduced in the study and the student engaged in activities more frequently while looking at the timer. The visual supports were removed, but remained within the student’s vision. The second child, who was 5 years old, the reached for the visual support that was within his vision and then pulled the arm of his caregiver to express he wanted the visual support. As a result, the implementation of visual cues in this case effectively reduced time in between activities while increasing independence of the students with ASD.

Video Supports for Teaching Students with Developmental Disabilities and Autism:

Twenty- Five Years of Research and Development

The use of videos is another visual support used that allows educators to address a variety of educational needs for students with disabilities. Based off decades of applied research support shown in the article, the use of videos has proven to be effective. According to Ayres & Langone (2008), this method provides an individualized effort by teachers to work with students with disabilities while aiding instructional strategies. The study concluded that the implementation of video models for students with disabilities is effective, but is limited due to high costs. Each video can be geared towards student interests and is both visual and auditory. According to Ayres & Langone (2008), this method of visual support will be used more in the upcoming years.

Smooth Transitions: Helping Students with Autism Navigate Through the School Day

Learning Through Seeing and Doing: Visual Supports for Children with Autism

According to Rao & Gagie (2006), students with austism are visual learners rather than auditory. The use of visual stimuli allows students to be prepared prior to transitions and understand situations better. Through the use of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and social stories, students can have visuals for numerous situations and communicate their needs (Rao & Gagie, 2006). These social stories describe situations visually and include common responses. According to Rao & Gagie (2006), there is limited formal research about the implementation of visual supports, but there is enough evidence supporting the effectiveness of using visual supports. According to Hume, Sreckovic, Snyder, & Carnahan (2014), it is important to identify triggers while transitioning, select supports for transitions, implement the supports for transitions, and collect data and problem-solve. These steps allow educators to determine if the strategies they used are effective and make changes if necessary. The transition supports listed include social stories, visual schedules, priming videos, timers, and choice prompts.  The students with ASD will become more independent while completing tasks and engage in activities as a result.

Conclusion

There are many different visual supports that can be used to aid students with ASD when transitioning. The articles that were found all display the effectiveness of visual supports for students with ASD. There are many different visual supports for educators to use when trying to determine which will work for each student. The research that was conducted indicated the benefits for both the student and the teacher. The use of visual supports increases independence while decreasing problematic behaviors that students with ASD may have. There were studies and experiments done on students with ASD that displayed the effects of using visual supports and not using visual supports. The behavior of the students with ASD improved as well as the time between transitions. Overall, all four articles show the benefits and importance of using visual supports to assist students with ASD within education.

References

Ayers, K. M., & Langone, J. (2008). Video supports for teaching students with developmental disabilities and autism: Twenty-five years of research and development. Journal of Special Education Technology, 23(3), 1-8.

Dettmer, S., Simpson, R. L., Myles, B. S., & Ganz, J. B. (2000). The use of visual supports to facilitate transactions of students with autism. Focus on Autism and other Developmental Disabilities, 15(3), 163-169.

Hume,. K., Sreckovic, M., Snyder, K., & Carnahan, C. R. (2014).Smooth transitions: Helping students with autism spectrum disorder navigate the school day. Teaching Exceptional Childrens, 47(1), 35-45.

Patten, M. L., & Bruce, R. R. (2014). Understanding Research Methods: An Overview of the Essentials (9th ed.). Los Angeles, California: Pyrczak Publishing. (1997).

Rao, S. M., & Gagie, B. (2006). Learning through seeing and doing. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(6), 26-33.