Question
What are visual supports and what are some examples?
Answer
Visual supports are things that we see that enhance the communication process. They can be objects, photographs, drawings, written words, schedules, or lists. Visual supports can be seen all over our world. Some common examples of visual supports include stop signs, red lights, street signs, and fire alarms. When we see these things in our world, what do they communicate to us? If we see a stop sign or a red light on a traffic signal, they tell us that we're going to bring our vehicle to a stop before entering the intersection. That's a lot to communicate with a single word on a sign or a simple colored light. Another example is a one-way sign, which communicates important information about which direction to drive.
Adults use visual supports all the time. For example, adults use maps, charts, calendars, watches, to-do lists, and organizational apps. Why do we use these things? To keep us on schedule, to help us keep track of what we need to do next, or to help us organize our work and make our lives more efficient. For children, visual supports may include real objects, photographs, line drawings, words, or action photos. These might be used to make visual schedules, rules for the classroom, social narratives, step-by-step routines (task analysis), or used as transition cues.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from a course entitled Visual Supports, by Kimberly Norris, MEd.
