Are you a neurodivergent person who struggles to stay organized?
Are you the parent of a neurodivergent person looking for effective ways to communicate with your child?
Are you a teacher who needs to get creative to teach your neurodivergent students?
Visual aids are an incredible tool for neurodivergent people, their families, friends, employers, and teachers. They can be used as tools for communication and social interaction, organization and time management, as well as reading aids, memory aids, and instructional material.
So what are visual aids, exactly?
Visual aids are pictures, illustrations, or pictograms that serve to bridge gaps in communication between neurodivergent and neurotypical people.
The ways that visual aids are used vary from person to person and between neurodivergent conditions. That’s why we’ve condensed some of the different ways that visual aids can be beneficial for different neurodivergent conditions.
Let’s get learning!👇
ADD & ADHD
For people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), visual aids offer support in managing time, organizing tasks, and staying focused. Colour-coded organizers (color-coded drawers, binders, and to-do’s) help people with ADHD/ADD prioritize tasks, retain memory, and build routines. Visual timers (online timers, apps) are helpful for people who tend to lose track of time, or who don’t remember to check the time. Visual reminders, such as sticky notes and checklists, also help to prioritize tasks and increase productivity.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) + Other Forms of Autism
Visual aids often play a vital role in supporting people with ASD. Visual schedules create structured daily routines, which can reduce anxiety levels and make transitions easier to go through. Social stories (photographs or illustrations that depict a social situation) are especially beneficial for younger people with ASD, who may need extra support in understanding and adapting to social situations. Pictograms that depict various emotions serve as visual cues for people with ASD to express themselves.
Down Syndrome & Intellectual Disabilities
In people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities, visual aids can serve as effective communication tools. Pictorial representation systems, such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), enable communication and the expression of needs and desires. Visual schedules can provide an outline of a day’s activities, which promotes predictability and often reduces anxiety.
Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, & Other Learning Disorders
Visual aids are beneficial for people with learning disorders, as they offer visual representations of the learning material (visual representations of the words on a page, of the relationships between numbers, etc.).
Want more information on how visual aids can help neurodivergent people? Leave us a comment down below and let us know how visual aids helped you navigate your neurodivergent disorder. (We might use it in part 2😉)
