{"id":20542,"date":"2022-01-30T08:38:37","date_gmt":"2022-01-30T08:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=20542"},"modified":"2022-01-30T08:38:37","modified_gmt":"2022-01-30T08:38:37","slug":"how-do-visual-supports-help-people-with-autism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-therapy-for-special-needs\/autism-vision\/how-do-visual-supports-help-people-with-autism\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do Visual Supports Help People With Autism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Autism can make communication and understanding difficult, but\u00a0 visual supports can help.<\/b><\/h2>\n

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)<\/a> is a group of developmental conditions that can cause social, behavioral and emotional issues.<\/p>\n

ASD can also create problems in communication that can result in frustration and anxiety for both the child with autism and their parents, who are trying to understand and care for them.<\/p>\n

Visual supports are an innovative and practical way to facilitate communication by converting ideas and instructions to easy to use and understand visual aids.<\/b><\/p>\n

What are visual supports?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Visual supports are simply pictures or other visual items that are used to communicate ideas or instructions to a person who has difficulty using or understanding verbal communication.<\/p>\n

Visual supports can make life a lot easier for people who live with the anxieties and difficulties associated with ASD.<\/b><\/p>\n

These supports can be anything from a photo, illustration or colored square to short videos or miniatures of familiar people or objects.<\/p>\n

Here are some of the areas where these supports are most helpful:<\/p>\n

1. Understanding social cues<\/b><\/p>\n

People with ASD do not always understand social cues that many neuro-typical people take for granted.<\/p>\n

They may have difficulty understanding how to start conversations, how to respond when others approach them socially or how to alter behavior based on unspoken cues such as body language or tone of voice.<\/p>\n

Certain visual supports can help teach a person with ASD ways to interact with others and eventually allow them the opportunity to practice these skills on their own.<\/p>\n

2. Processing and following verbal instructions<\/b><\/p>\n

Autism also makes it difficult to understand and follow verbally-communicated instructions.<\/p>\n

A person with ASD may find it challenging\u00a0 to process these instructions, creating frustration and anxiety for themselves and others when communication breaks down.<\/p>\n

Visual supports, such as written or illustrated timelines, can help solidify concepts, clarify expectations and serve as something tangible to refer back to when steps might be forgotten or not fully understood.<\/p>\n

These supports can also help a person with ASD work through complicated processes step-by-step so that they can accomplish these tasks independently or with minimal assistance.<\/p>\n

3. Working through routines\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Some people with ASD may get anxious or act out when they are faced with unfamiliar situations or a change in their routine.<\/p>\n

Visual supports can help calm this anxiety by helping them know what comes next and what they should expect from where they are and what they are doing.<\/p>\n

These supports can help them pay better attention to the details of a routine and cope with changes more easily and comfortably.<\/p>\n

SEE RELATED: How Does Vision Therapy Help Children with Autism?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If your child has ASD, schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you<\/a> to give them the best support possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t

Find an eye doctor for children near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t
\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t