5 Reasons to Use Visuals Now!

Here's hoping that you have the Best.Year.Ever! I'm linking up with The Frenzied SLPs to give some tips about visuals to help you achieve the best year ever.

Visuals Aren't Just for Autism!

1. Visualizing is a well known memory aid, but it isn't an automatic skill! Learning to keep a visual memory of a picture we have seen is one way to start practicing building your own mental picture. Just think of all those What's Missing? pictures where kids need to remember the details of the original picture. It is a fun way to build memory skills!

2. Visuals help with auditory processing. When a student has a picture that is related to the words he is hearing, it is easier to make sense of the message. The picture can help connect the words to the concepts and retain the main idea in working memory.

3. Visuals help with expressive language skills. When a student uses pictured words to formulate sentences, she can begin to see the pattern of the sentence structure, especially when repetitive practice is given that just switches out key words.

4. Visuals help with articulation skills. With decreased linguistic demands for sentence formulation, the student can put all his efforts into the motor aspect of sound production in connected speech and be more successful.

5. Visuals help everyone to function! What would you do without your calendar and planner?

Links for Visuals

Do you have my free visual Getting Started with Autism Guide? Get it here!

Here are links to some free downloads, written from an autism perspective:
http://www.dcc-cde.ca.gov/documents/25%20Reasons%20for%20Using%20Visual%20Strategies-my%20original%20article.pdf

https://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/sciencedocs/atn/visual_supports.pdf 

http://www.aiu3.net/uploadedFiles/Teaching_and_Learning/IDEA_and_Training_Consultation/Intro%20to%20Visual%20Strategies.pdf

http://www.sdparent.org/web/site_2825_files/files/1425914623_Visual_Strategies_in_General.pdf

This link is very informative about using visuals in instruction for the common core:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ccia-10-visual-literacy-strategies-todd-finley

This link has free templates for many visuals:
http://www.educationworld.com/tools_templates/index.shtml

There are so many free resources for graphic organizers, one of the most popular ways to use visuals:
http://freeology.com/graphicorgs/ 

http://www.educationoasis.com/printables/graphic-organizers/

http://www.vrml.k12.la.us/graphorgan/older/graphic_organizers.htm

When educating students, so much of our efforts are put toward increasing comprehension skills, since that goes along naturally with teaching curriculum. As SLPs and special educators, though,  it is so vital to remember to help give our students a voice! Whether they can use pictures, words, or a combination of both, helping kids to be able to express their needs, wants and ideas is a core skill.

The newest set in my File Folder Sentence activities line, Apple and Pumpkins, may provide just the practice your students need to understand what to expect on your fall trips and be able to communicate about it! I've included a bonus social sequence page to show some steps for going on bus trips.

If you like this idea, be sure to visit my store tomorrow, August 22nd, for the TpT Bonus Best Year Ever sale. My whole store is 20% off! Use the code 'oneday' to get an additional 8% off everything!

SLP friends, if you have a product with great visual supports, feel free to add a link in the comments. Let's have the Best.Year.Ever!

An InLinkz Link-up