The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Use this site to access recordings and presentations from National Conferences

Autism Society records most keynote and concurrent sessions at their annual conferences. You can see and hear those recordings by purchasing full online access, or individual recordings.

7245 Filling Your Toolbox with Visual Strategies: Drawing through the Day


Friday, July 25, 2014: 2:30 PM-3:45 PM
207 (Indiana Convention Center)
MP3 Recorded Presentation PDF Slides Handout

Registered attendees have free access, please select the button above for the file you would like to access.

Purchase Access
This presentation will focus on the method of “drawing through the day” to address cognitive deficits in our students. An emphasis on the process that takes this educator from “concept to visual” will be reinforced. Slides include visuals created to teach/communicate: black and white thinking, gradations, disappointment, perspective-taking and more. The focus of this presentation is to help educators understand the power and versatility that exists when using the visual modality to address abstract concepts. Using Power Point, this presentation will include the thinking process behind the creation of visuals to address social/emotional needs, academic needs, and organizational needs. Stories will reflect how this concept was utilized to teach students about: black and white thinking, frustration, perspective-taking, conflict resolution and disappointment. Given the low-tech nature of this method, teachers/therapists can implement this approach whenever the need to enhance teaching and understanding arises.

After attending this session, participants will have an additional tool to use when helping a student understand a concept. The participants will also gain a better understanding of the deficits that interfere with a student’s ability to function optimally. As part of the process, educators need to have a range of possibilities as to why a child might be experiencing difficulty. The connection between the deficit and the teaching approach will be highlighted.

As our students struggle with the generalization and retention of information, the use of binders to organize important information will be discussed. The binder, which exists for all students,contains the following areas: All About Me, All About My Teachers and Classmates, Visual Tools (including social stories, scales, thermometers) and All About Home. Parents are important partners in this process and including them in the creation and ongoing use of the binder is critical.

Use of visuals in this field has increased tremendously over time. This presentation will

help those who want to expand their use of visuals as well as open their minds to another way of teaching.

Learning Objectives:

  • Participants will be able to identify and articulate five cognitive deficits characteristic of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  • Participants will be able to develop visual strategies for concretizing abstract concepts to help students navigate through their day.
  • Participants will be able to create binders for their students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as a means of collecting and organizing visual information.

Content Area: Education

Presenter:

Shelley Green, M.S.
Autism Program Specialist
CASE Collaborative

Shelley Green has worked in the field of Special Education since 1980. Her special interest has been in helping her students understand the way they think as a means of helping them navigate through the day more effectively. She enjoys consulting to parents and professionals on this topic.