Part 4- All the Visual Supports

Students on the autism spectrum benefit greatly from visuals. Visual supports assist our autistic students with language comprehension and expression. Have you ever struggled with getting your students to be more independent? Visual supports are key! Additionally, they assist your students throughout the school day and prepare your paraprofessionals.

In this episode of the mini-series for setting up an effective autism classroom, I tell you all about how visual supports have been an absolute game-changer in my autism classroom. Overall visual supports help students navigate their environment provide guidance in their daily routines, and help manage behaviors, visual supports are a must.

You won't want to miss part 4 of the mini-series. I am here to provide you with all of the tools you could possibly need!

Episode Highlights:

• Labeling and Organizing Spaces: Lisa emphasizes the significance of labeling classroom areas, storage spaces, and resources. She suggests using visuals like pictures to help students navigate and understand their environment. This labeling strategy not only benefits students but also aids in maintaining an organized and functional classroom.
• Utilizing Visual Supports Across Different Areas: Lisa discusses the placement of visual supports strategically throughout the classroom. She also suggests hanging visuals near specific areas such as centers, doors, and bathrooms to provide guidance on routines and expectations. Each center is equipped with tailored visual supports like core boards and incentive choice boards.
• Preparing Behavior Visuals and Tools: Lisa highlights the importance of preparing behavior visuals in advance, including token boards, contingency maps, and choice boards. These tools assist in managing behavior and promoting positive learning experiences for students.
• Providing Visual Aids to Paraprofessionals: Lisa stresses the value of equipping paraprofessionals with visual aids by providing them with lanyards containing essential visuals. Overall this ensures that support staff can consistently refer to and utilize these tools when working with students.

Resources Mentioned:

• Visual Aids
• Token Boards
• Free training: 3 Simple and Powerful Ways to Cultivate Independence in Your Special Education Classroom to learn more about IWS centers

Connect with Me:

• Instagram: @chalkboard_superhero
• Join my Facebook group, Special Education Superheroes
• Join my email list
• Shop my TPT store
• Join the Teach, Taskbox, Inspire Membership

More About Teach, Task Box, Inspire: The Podcast:

Teach, Task Box, Inspire: The Podcast is your go-to educational podcast dedicated to making your job as a special education teacher easier and more enjoyable. Your host, Lisa Hollady, is a veteran special education teacher with a passion for helping teachers like you make a real difference in the lives of your students.

In your demanding roles, you’re constantly juggling various responsibilities, from differentiated instruction and Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) to data collection, and, of course, teaching. That’s where task boxes come in.

Task boxes aren’t just teaching tools. They’re the key to unlocking student independence, student engagement, and personalized learning. Through this podcast, you’ll uncover the incredible task box benefits for your special needs students and practical implementation tips that you can take to your classroom.

Tune in each Monday for a new episode that will equip you with essential strategies and motivation to approach your week with confidence and enthusiasm. Topics will include task box activities, social and emotional development, adaptive teaching, inclusive teaching, supporting diverse learners, classroom management, scheduling, visual aids, and more.

If you’re looking for more special education resources and support with increasing student independence, check out Lisa's FREE training.