Welcome to Visual Supports & Beyond!
This is a site about making
creative visual and other supports for children with autism and related
conditions. It's about children with autism because that is
where my experience lies, but the theory behind what I do is just as
easily applied to adults. The site is still 'under
construction', I add to it in fits and starts, feel free to request I
add something in particular, as long as it's relevant!
When someone has an obvious disability or difference, such as
person who can't walk, its not too difficult to understand the extra
things they will need in order to live as independently and fully as
possible. To start with they'll need a wheelchair.
But also there are ramps or lifts to replace steps, maybe a hoist (and
training for carers to use it), specialist bathing and toileting
equipment (whole rooms in some cases), adapted vehicles, physio
routines, coordinating sets of carers and family members, teams of
professionals to provide and maintain all the equipment, the list goes
on. There is a framework of people and things around our person
who can't walk, compensating for the fact that they can't walk in a
world designed for walking people.
The differences in people with autism are not so visually obvious,
especially in people with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or High Functioning
Autism (HFA). That does not mean their differences don't
cause them (and others) as many difficulties, both our person who can't
walk and a person with autism live in a world that is not designed for
them.
So how do we organise a 'framework' for a person with autism?
If we look at our person who can't walk, they didn't just pop down to
see their GP who said "yup, you can't walk, that means you get a
wheelchair, a hoist and a ramp on your front door". They
were seen and assessed by multiple professionals who looked at exactly
how their disability affects them, what they could learn to do with
extra support, what they would always struggle to do, and exactly what
they would need to live as independently as possible. Their
framework was tailored to their unique set of difficulties.
Back to our person with autism, as we can't see their differences, its
harder to work out what they need help with. We need to look
at how their autism affects their ability to function in a neurotypical
(NT) world, and what we need to provide to enable them to reach their
full potential.
Why? - First I'll look at the bits about autism that I
think are important to keep in mind when planning, creating and
delivering a visual support.
What? - Then I'll show you lots of examples of things
I've made over the years, anonymised of course!
How? - Finally we'll look at some of the tools, tips
and tricks I use when creating a visual or other support.
If you want to chat
to other people about supports for children with autism, trade ideas and
show off your creations, feel free to use the forums.
I also post about random things I come across that have some kind of
link to autism.
Occasionally I put my thoughts on a particular topic down on paper ahead
of a talk or meeting, if I think these are useful, I'll link to them
below. Please remember, these represent my current
view/opinion/thinking and are open to discussion and review!