Some children and adults find it difficult to communicate how they are feeling emotionally or how their sensory environment is affecting them. With the use of communication aids or visual tools this becomes a lot easier and less stressful for all involved. Without these aids, anxiety levels can increase and lead to a child or adult withdrawing from a situation or becoming frustrated with the situation.
Communication fans and visual aids can help reduce the anxiety of not being able to express themselves and communication games can further develop communication skills.
Visual symbols offer great benefits for adults and children who have an autism diagnosis or similar conditions:
Support non verbal communication.
Reduce the ambiguity of spoken language which some people find challenging to process.
Improve understanding by offering a clear representation of concepts making them easier to understand.
Pictorial schedules help understanding of routines and multi step tasks.
Provide a clear structure for routines, which can reduce anxiety by helping individuals know what to expect.
Can ease transitions between activities or environments by visually illustrating what comes next.
Promote independence helping individuals to complete tasks without constant verbal direction.
Can facilitate social interaction by promoting shared understanding and by helping individuals intepret social cues.