Children who use visual supports may use them for the following reasons

• To make the sequence of daily activities predictable and understandable
• To reduce anxiety
• To develop language and communication

At school your child may use:

• Objects of reference (See OOR section in Early Understanding tab)
• Photographs of reference (See POR section in Early Understanding tab)
• Symbols
• Timetables  such as a  ‘Now and next’, ‘Now, next and later’ or a  morning/afternoon/full  day       schedule where symbols/photographs/words are organised to show the sequence of activities  throughout the day.
• A timer to show the end of an activity.
•  Choice boards to enable children to choose preferred activities/objects. This may be photographs or symbols and depends on the individual.
•  Task sequence strips, e.g. a sequence of images telling your child how to brush their teeth or wash their hands.
• Social Stories – Stories presented in a visually clear way that explain what a child can expect in a certain situation and why.

These can be used at home to support the reasons outlined. Please contact your child's class teacher should you require further information  about your child specifically and click on the links below to find more information about Social Stories and the importance of visual supports.

Visual Supports                               Social Stories