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Visual supports take advantage of the generally stronger visual processing capabilities of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).1-4
One would be hard pressed to find a speech-language pathologist who doesn't use visual schedules, token boards or other visual behavioral supports in therapy.
The Visual Language Program is the core of the teaching model at the Monarch Center for Autism, in Cleveland, OH, permeating every aspect of a student's day. Visuals are everywhere for organization, such as schedules, timers and token boards; instruction, including visually rich stories for social learning or visually supported learning games; and expression, such as topic boards and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices.
Howard Shane, PhD, director of the Center for Communication Enhancement at Children's Hospital Boston, led a team of clinicians from Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School and worked with the Monarch staff and students to develop and research the model.5
"Ubiquitous use of individualized, meaningful visual supports for organization, expression and instruction is very effective with this population," he said. "Presenting those supports interactively on a computer or electronic whiteboard makes them even more effective."
The technology used in the Visual Language Program goes beyond adaptive technologies like AAC devices that are commonly associated with ASD therapy. "Without technologies that help us create, organize, and effectively present visuals, we couldn't be nearly as effective in meeting the goals of our students and the needs of our staff," said Jeff Richards, director of Multimedia Resources at Monarch.
The primary challenge of getting students to engage and absorb information is much easier with technology. The use of whiteboards and laptops makes material intrinsically more interesting to students and more effective in achieving educational goals. One study showed that students with ASD were attentive to a computer-generated lesson 97 percent of the time and learned 74 percent of the targeted nouns, compared to 62 percent attentiveness to a teacher-directed lesson where they learned just 41 percent of the material.6
At Monarch 13 speech-language pathologists are assigned to 90 students, ages 3-22, who have a primary diagnosis of autism. They work one-on-one with the students, as well as in the classroom, at lunch and recess, and in the community.
The speech staff uses visual supports and other technology in the classroom throughout the school day. Among the technologies used are AAC, video modeling, computers, touch screens, Smart Boards™by Smart Technologies, Boardmaker® products from DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, and VizZle® a Web-based visual learning program developed by the Monarch staff through an affiliate organization, Monarch Teaching Technologies Inc.
"AAC gives students with complex communication disorders a communication outlet to show how much they understand and how much they know," said Lauren Shea, MS, CCC-SLP.
Video modeling-using video captured on flip cameras or instructional videos dropped into interactive lessons-is one of the most effective teaching tools made possible by new technology. "Static cues are difficult for my older students with lower-level cognitive skills to comprehend," explained Kelley Yaworski, MA, CCC-SLP. "The videos provide more concrete examples of what is expected."
Smart Boards create a "joint focus," said Kristi Lambert, MA, CCC-SLP. "They create opportunities for students to be social and participate in group socialization activities." Liz Prada, CF-SLP, stated, "When you have students on lower and higher levels working together, it helps with active participation among all the students in the group." Students become "a lot more creative and? flexible because of the group dynamic," noted Emily Petro, CF-SLP.
VizZle has become the primary resource for the speech-language pathologists, who use the program to create personalized visual supports for students. They have seen benefits in generalization, engagement and communication. In particular, they praised the library of interactive lessons and easy sharing enabled by the Web-based software. "You can provide more opportunities for practice and indirect services with the IEP [individual education plan] team," said Laura Kaufman, MA, CCC-SLP.
Technology has revolutionized what they are able to provide for students and made them more effective therapists. They spend less time recreating the wheel every time they need a visual support and more time providing the therapy their students need to succeed.
References
1. Althaus, M., de Sonneville, L.M., Minderaa, R.B., et al. (1996). Information processing and aspects of visual attention in children with the DSM-III-R diagnosis pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDDNOS): II. Child Neuropsychology, 2 (1): 17-29.
2. Mottron, L., Burack, J., Stauder, J., et al. (1999). Perceptual processing among high-functioning persons with autism. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 40 (2): 203-11.
3. Shah, A., Frith, U. (1993). Why do autistic individuals show superior performance on the block design task? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34 (8): 1351-64.
4. Thaut, M.H. (1987). Visual versus auditory (musical) stimulus preferences in autistic children: A pilot study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 17 (3): 425-32.
5. Shane, H.C., Weiss-Kapp, S. (2007). Visual Language in Autism. San Diego: Plural Publishing.
6. Moore, M., Calvert, S. (2000). Brief report: Vocabulary acquisition for children with autism: Teacher or computer instruction. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30: 359-62.
Lauren Stafford is director of Instructional Design at Monarch Teaching Technologies Inc. She can be contacted at lstafford@monarchteachtech.com. Melissa Baker is supervisor of the Speech Therapy Department at the Monarch School.
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