UofL_Stripe Laura Ferguson, M.Ed., BCBA Visual Supports Things that we see that enhance the communication process. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside What are Visual Supports?? Types of Visual Supports 1) Body Movement: body language, natural gestures, and sign 2) Environmental Cues: such as objects and signs 3) Traditional tools for organization: calendars, shopping lists, recipes, and instruction manuals 4) Specialized communication aids: picture stories, behavior scripts, and activity schedules. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Why are visual supports important? •Give the student/child time to focus •Time to work out meaning •Child can refer back to visual •Enable communication to be more specific •Encourage consistency in procedures, expectations, and routines across all people involved with the child Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Why are visual supports important? •Make life predictable •Gives a framework for talking about change Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Visual Schedules •Easy way to provide students with consistent cues about their daily lives •Help child anticipate what will happen next Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Whole Day Schedule Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside http://www.mayer-johnson.com/media/category/autism/schedule.jpg Routine/Activity Schedule Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v92/CHARLENE1971/schoolday.jpg Activity Schedule Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Within Activity Schedule Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Within Activity Schedule Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Visual form that provides high motivation for the student to work through one activity to get to a preferred activity. This can be a powerful strategy in maintaining appropriate behavior throughout transitions. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside First/Then STEPS for TEACHING: 1)Identify preferred items through preference assessment 2)1st Preferred-Then Preferred several opportunities over several days 3)Gradually introduce non-preferred tasks as the “First” expectation 4)Make sure that “Then” is still a highly preferred item Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside First/Then Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside * Social narratives are interventions that describe social situations in some detail by highlighting relevant cues and offering examples of appropriate responding. *They are aimed at helping learners adjust to changes in routine and adapt their behaviors based on the social and physical cues of a situation, or to teach specific social skills or behaviors. Social Narratives Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Social narratives are individualized according to learner needs and typically are quite short, perhaps including pictures or other visual aides. Sentence types that are often used when constructing social narratives include descriptive, directive, perspective, affirmative, control, and cooperative. Social Narratives Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Video Modeling A form of observational learning in which desired behaviors are learned by watching a video demonstration and then imitating the behavior of the model. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Individuals observe themselves performing a behavior successfully on video, then imitate the targeted behavior. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Video self-modeling Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside •BATHROOM VIDEO Individuals observe someone else, preferably same gender and age as themselves, performing a behavior successfully on video, then imitate the targeted behavior. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Other-as-model Video Modeling Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Julie video washing hands Individuals observe someone else, preferably same gender and age as themselves, performing each step of a behavior successfully on video and uses the video clip as a prompt, if needed, to complete the step. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Video Prompting Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Julie video video prompting washing hands Token Systems Behavior change system that is composed of three major components: 1.A specified list of target behaviors 2.Tokens or points that participants receive for emitting the targeted behaviors 3.Menu of backup reinforcers; preferred items, activities, or privileges the child can obtain when tokens are earned. (Cooper and Heron, 2007) Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Token Systems Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Implementing a Token System Depending on the skill level of the learner, the steps in implementing a token system may vary. General steps include: 1.Describing how the system works 2.Model the procedure for token delivery 3.Model the delivery for token exchange (Cooper and Heron, 2007) Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Token Systems First tokens should be given on a thin schedule of reinforcement. Example: Starting with one token required to contact reinforcement. Then gradually fading in the amount of tokens, before reinforcement is contacted. They receive reinforcement more quickly Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside In Summary Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Remember: Visual Strategies help individuals with autism navigate the unknown and predict what may come next. Kentucky Autism Training Center UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Thank you so much for coming!! Questions?? Questions? Contact info: Laura Ferguson Laura.ferguson@louisville.edu C:\Documents and Settings\djvitt01\Desktop\Space Camp.jpg Center contact info: Telephone: (502) 852-4631 Fax: (502) 852-7148 E-mail: katc @ louisville.edu https://louisville.edu/education/kyautismtraining UofL_Logo_Curtain_Inside Kentucky Autism Training Center