For kids who struggle with understanding or expressing language, visual supports like objects, photos, drawings, or written words can help them learn new skills and know what to expect. Visual supports can promote independence and help students focus, make complex concepts easier to understand, allow kids to express their thoughts, reduce anxiety, and help with transitions.
We’ve rounded up some great websites that provide visual supports to help with education as well as daily living and social-emotional skills. Check them out and let us know what worked for your family!
Creatively Adapted Resource Library offers free printable visual supports including schedules, curriculum supports, and vocabulary cards. The site is password-protected, so you'll have to request access by providing your name and email address. (The password is “adapted.”)
Do 2 Learn offers picture cards and visual tools for helping with functional communication. These printable resources are available for creating visual schedules and teaching daily living skills and social and behavioral skills. There’s also an academic section with visual supports for fine motor skills, language development, literacy, math, and more.
From the Illinois Autism Partnership & Easter Seals Illinois, this PDF provides examples and customizable templates for daily schedules, motivational token boards, a first/then board, activity schedules, and other visual supports.
Special education teachers came together to provide free resources including how-tos, tips for special education preparation, organization for math lessons, and more on Especially Education. There are helpful articles about different types of visual schedules and customizing visual schedules, as well as free mini units for various special education themes. Printable supplies are available for purchase, including a customizable Made For Me Literacy downloadable activity set, which has a lot of visual components (a year-long bundle is $115).
The Simply Visual Teachers Pay Teachers resource provides adapted and interactive resources including math, letter recognition, reading, and other basic skills. The site offers academic visual learning support, behavior support, and visuals for students with disabilities.
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