Manyautisticpeople think and learn visually.Autism professionalshighly advocate using visual tools to help autistic children and adults learn better and function more effectively in daily life.
While not every autistic person is, in fact, a visual learner, there is no question that visual aids, manipulatives, picture cards, video models, and related tools can be very helpful. What’s more, most such tools are relatively easy to find and/or make and are quite inexpensive.
History of Visual Thinking in Autism
The idea that autistic people are visual thinkers became more widely known due to the writings of Temple Grandin, a prominent engineer and a self-advocate diagnosed with autism. When Grandin’s bookThinking in Picturescame out in 1995, it had a significant impact on how professionals thought about autism and learning.
Grandin explained that she “thinks in pictures” rather than in words. This makes certain tasks, such as conversation, more difficult—but makes other tasks, such as engineering, significantly easier.
In the 1960s, educational theorist Howard Gardner came out with his theory of multiple intelligences; among the 12 types of intelligence, he listed visual/spatial intelligence.
Visual/spatial intelligence refers to spatial judgment and the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye. We use visual intelligence when we navigate space, put together puzzles, memorize maps, and envision the layout of a room.
Autistic people are often visual thinkers; certainly, many are very good at puzzles, organizing objects, and remembering routes. Therefore, it’s logical, though not entirely accurate, to say that autistic people are visual learners.
Why Visual Teaching Tools Are Effective
The research suggests that autistic people learn in many different ways. In fact, at least one study found that autistic kids have poor visual/spatial skills relative to theirneurotypicalpeers.Another study found “no evidence of a prominent visual learning style.”
Like everyone else, it seems that autistic people have a range of intelligences and learning styles. Yet there are excellent reasons for using visuals as teaching tools and signposts for autistic learners. The same is true of videos, hands-on manipulatives, and teaching tools. Here’s why.
Nearly all autistic people havedifficulty with spoken language. Some have no use of spoken language at all, while most can use spoken language but find it difficult to translate spoken words into meaning at high speed.
This is one reason why even students with strong language skills may find support necessary when learning in a typical classroom.
Visuals make it easier for autistic students and adults to understand what’s being said or taught without having to make sense of spoken words rapidly. Visual tools can also allow those with very limited language skills to communicate with others.
Autistic people are usually quite literal in their thinking. In some cases, this can make abstract concepts very difficult to understand. Even words like up, down, under, and over can be difficult, as can phrases like “on the right” or “next week.” Visuals can make all of these concepts instantly understandable.
Autistic people generally prefer routines as opposed to spontaneous changes in schedules. Most schools and workplaces are routinized, but the routines may not be obvious. For example, gym class may occur on Tuesdays at 9:00 and Thursdays at 2:00. Visual schedules can make routines easier to predict and follow.
Few autistic people are good at imitating the behaviors of those around them. As a result, they may not be aware of “unwritten rules” or behavioral expectations in their various environments. Visual tools ranging from social stories to graphics can help communicate important information like “be quiet in the hallways,” “sit down when you come in,” and so forth.
Certainexecutive functioning skills, like telling and using time and organizing school materials, can be exceptionally difficult for autistic people. Visual tools, such as visual timers and color coding, can make all the difference.
Visual Thinking Tools for School and Daily Life
Visual learners also include many neurotypical people. When a teacher, employer, or community entity employs visual tools, they’re making life easier for all visual learners. Some visual tools are quite pricey. The vast majority, however, are either low cost or free.
Visual thinking tools are increasingly easy to find online and in the form of software. Interactive maps, “mind mapping” tools, and information visualization tools are all part of the landscape. This makes it even easier to “normalize” their use for autistic people.
Verywell / Joules Garcia
Visual Schedules
In their simplest forms, visual schedules are boards onto which pictograms can be attached. Typically, the pictograms indicate specific activities such as lunch, recess, bus, etc. Schedules may or may not include specific times. Many teachers, even those who don’t teach autistic kids, use visual schedules to help young learners orient themselves to the day’s plan.
For autistic people withhigher-level skills, there are a plethora of visual scheduling tools. Most are designed for project managers, but teachers or employers can use them. Visual schedules include calendars, timelines, and timetables. There are also interactive and digital time-management skills, from online interactive calendars to online Gantt charts.
Social Stories
Examples include social stories to use before visiting the dentist, getting a haircut, taking the bus, or visiting a relative. They can also be used to prepare a child to interact inunstructured settingssuch as playgrounds.
Visual Timers
Visual timers can be great tools for helping both children and adults observe and respond to the passage of time. The simplest such tools, of course, are hourglasses, which are available in many different sizes to keep track of different stretches of time.
Another option is the “Time Timer,” a simple battery-operated device which makes it easy to see the passage of time within a one-hour span.
Picture Cards
Picture cards were first used for autistic children to substitute for spoken language. Simple pictograms allowed children to respond to questions or request items without having spoken words. Over time, visual communication evolved into digital tools such as Dynovox, a pricey but very useful device with a large collection of digital images to choose from.
Today, while it is still possible (and in some cases desirable) to use physical cards, most nonverbal individuals use iPadappssuch as Boardmaker which are relatively inexpensive and extremely versatile.
Video-Based Teaching
Like static images, videos can communicate concepts where words may be ineffective. Many young autistic kids begin to learn language andecho phrasesfrom television and movies. In many cases, they learn to use those phrases appropriately before proceeding to more typical speech patterns.
Many autistic people also learn content better when presented visually than when presented verbally, so educational videos can be effective teaching tools for autistic students and employees. Some great advantages to using video as a teaching tool include:
Video Modeling
Video modeling is usually used to teach expected or preferred behaviors and social skills. There are two forms of video modeling. One literally models desired behaviors or skills using actors, and the other involves recording the autistic person so that they can watch and evaluate their own behaviors.
The value of video modeling is, in part, the ability to show rather than tell about key social expectations such as the recognition of facial expressions and body language. For example:
Video Previews
Video previews are similar to static social stories. They provide a literal preview of exactly what an autistic person will be experiencing in a new place or situation. Many community organizations, such as museums and zoos, use video previews to help school groups prepare for visits.
These provide visitors (including autistic guests) with a very good sense of what will happen when they arrive and what to expect during the visit. This reduces anxiety, which in turn makes it easier for visitors to engage, learn, and enjoy their visit.
A Word From Verywell
Visual thinking tools are among the most effective, least expensiveresourcesfor autistic people and they are absolutely risk free. If you believe you or your child could benefit from their use, there is nothing to lose and everything to gain from doing so.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zhang M, Jiao J, Hu X, et al.Exploring the spatial working memory and visual perception in children with autism spectrum disorder and general population with high autism-like traits.PLOS ONE2020;15(7):e0235552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235552Trembath D, Vivanti G, Iacono T, Dissanayake C.Accurate or assumed: visual learning in children with ASD.J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(10):3276-3287. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2488-4
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Zhang M, Jiao J, Hu X, et al.Exploring the spatial working memory and visual perception in children with autism spectrum disorder and general population with high autism-like traits.PLOS ONE2020;15(7):e0235552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235552Trembath D, Vivanti G, Iacono T, Dissanayake C.Accurate or assumed: visual learning in children with ASD.J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(10):3276-3287. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2488-4
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Zhang M, Jiao J, Hu X, et al.Exploring the spatial working memory and visual perception in children with autism spectrum disorder and general population with high autism-like traits.PLOS ONE2020;15(7):e0235552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235552Trembath D, Vivanti G, Iacono T, Dissanayake C.Accurate or assumed: visual learning in children with ASD.J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(10):3276-3287. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2488-4
Zhang M, Jiao J, Hu X, et al.Exploring the spatial working memory and visual perception in children with autism spectrum disorder and general population with high autism-like traits.PLOS ONE2020;15(7):e0235552. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0235552
Trembath D, Vivanti G, Iacono T, Dissanayake C.Accurate or assumed: visual learning in children with ASD.J Autism Dev Disord. 2015;45(10):3276-3287. doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2488-4
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