Understanding WHY is Half the Battle

 

Understanding WHY is Half the Battle. Using visual strategies with students used to be rare. Now it is a common practice in education. In my Visual Strategies Workshops at least 75% of the people indicate that they use some visual tools with students. They see great results from this method of communication support. That is why they are attending the workshop. They want to learn more.

 

The problem is . . . . there are still a lot of people who have difficulty understanding the need. Some of them struggle and argue and fight to try to avoid accepting the need for this communication approach. I love it when these people attend a workshop. By the time they leave, most of them are believers.

 

Unfortunately, some of the unbelievers never make it to the program to understand WHY.

 

It all has to do with learning style.

Most of us learn by using a combination of methods. We listen (auditory), we look (visual), and we touch (kinesthetic). Although we use a combination of these systems, we probably have some preferences.

 

Do you know what your preferences or strengths are? Do you like to listen to books on tape? (auditory) Would you rather read the text? (visual) Are you one of those people that tinkers with things to figure out how to assemble them? (kinesthetic)

 

Do you consider yourself to have a greater strength in understanding auditory information or visual information?

 

Here is an interesting, but very unscientific, observation. When I ask people in my workshops if they consider themselves “more auditory” or “more visual,” can you guess how they respond? Probably 95% of them consider themselves “more visual.” I realize I am simplifying things here. But that is a powerful statistic even if it is unofficial.

 

So what does this have to do with all those students with autism spectrum disorders?

Students with autism typically have difficulty processing auditory information. It may not be every student and it may not be all the time. But the difficulty with auditory processing is common and pervasive in this population.

 

This is not an auditory acuity problem. They can hear sound. It is an auditory processing problem. When the sound goes into the brain, the student is not able to make meaning from it. 

 

Unfortunately, we don’t know WHY. The simple answer is that there are differences in the way these student’s brains function.

 

What does this all mean?

It means that we know something very important that will help us teach our targeted students more effectively. They tend to have difficulty processing auditory information. But there is another piece of information that guides us.

 

Do you remember the question I asked you about your own learning style? The majority of you told me that you considered yourselves “more visual.” Well guess what??? If you sit back and observe these students for a while, you will discover that the majority of them are also “more visual.”

 

And here is one more thought. . . you and I probably don’t have the kind of difficulty processing auditory information that these students do. Yet most of us tend to prefer visual input. So if these students have more difficulty processing auditory information than we do, do you think they may prefer visual information even mooooooore than we do?

 

Did you ever have an “ah-ha” moment?

An “ah-ha” moment occurs when you finally “get” something. You may be reading this newsletter because you have already achieved that moment of revelation. YOU “get it.” You are a believer in using visual strategies.

 

Perhaps you didn’t understand before you read this article, but now . . .”ah-ha.”

 

Or maybe one of your most challenging responsibilities as a professional or parent may be to help other professionals or parents achieve that special moment of understanding.

Just remember, understanding the WHY can lead the unbelievers to the “ah-ha.”

 

Linda Hodgdon, M.ED., CCC-SLP is a Speech Pathologist and consultant for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is the author of the best seller, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. To learn more or to sign up for her FREE E-newsletter, visit www.UseVisualStrategies.com

 

 

Managing the Explosion of IPad APPS for Autism

Capture the IPad APPS Possibilities for Autism Spectrum Disorders

25 Reasons to Use Visual Strategies

Focus on the Input

How to Create a Daily Schedule