The Mom sat intently in my workshop. I watched the distressed
look on her face during most of the program. When I was done
speaking, she came up and asked to talk to me. We sat down
for a while and chatted.

Mom understood the concept of using visual strategies. That was not her question. Her concern was that she felt like it was a "life sentence" for her son. She was afraid to use visual strategies with her son because then he would become dependent on them and he would not grow up to be a "normal" adult.

Fear was mounting
Mom was afraid to start something that would eventually handicap her son. She couldn't see beyond that. She saw visual strategies as a "crutch" or a "penalty" to be avoided at all cost.

It's not really like that
As I talked to Mom she described her son as one of those who responds to things he can see. In many other ways he fit the profile. Difficulty attending, problems following directions, a variety of challenges with communication, behavior and social situations.

She could see his strengths. But these other issues get in the way of his success. Yet in her heart, she could see his capabilities.

So what about the visual strategies?
Mom viewed the use of visual strategies as a step backwards. Using them would make him more handicapped.

So we talked some more
There is GOOD news here. We are learning some important information about her son. First, we are learning about his
learning STRENGTHS. How does he learn best? When he
can SEE information.

• He attends better when there is something to look at
• He can participate more independently when he has
  some visual cues to help him remember what to do
• He learns tasks more quickly when we give him
  visual information

Here's the question
Do you want your son to be taught in the way he learns best? Do you want to make learning easier for him? Or do you want him to struggle harder to try to keep up with the other students?

To me . . . this is a "no-brainer"
Sometimes people tell me they use this analogy. If your child had a vision problem, would you make sure he had glasses to help him see?

If your child had a hearing problem that could be helped with a hearing aid, would you choose to have the aid?

Now, what about the child who needs some visual cues to help
him attend and remember and understand better? Will you choose that option?

And here's another way to look at the situation
Which child looks more "different"? The one who has a huge
blow up because the routine has changed, or the one who has a
little cue card on his desk to remind him that something is going to be special today?

Which child looks more "different"? The one who has a schedule in his pocket to remind him where to go, or the one who has an aide following him and guiding him around all day.

How about this choice. Would you prefer a student who is ostracized by his peers because he approaches them inappropriately or one who has used some visual tools to learn to greet them and start a conversation in a socially acceptable way?

The long term view
Looking down the road ten or twenty years from now is not easy. But here is a way to think about the future. There is a lot that we have to learn in childhood to help us grow to adulthood. How will this child learn all those skills most easily?

And another thing to think about
What is the long term goal? The goal is not visual strategies.
How about effective communication. Effective participation in
work and social activities. Personal organization skills for time
and life management. Visual strategies are tools to help achieve those goals.

Even in adulthood, visual strategies can help
I wouldn't manage very well without my calendar and my day planner. My "things to do" list helps me remember to stop at the dry cleaners on the way home. These tools from childhood can morph and change to become tools for effective adulthood.

So Mom . . . be glad
We have discovered some tools that will make your son's life much easier . . . much better . . . more productive. Please be glad.

Copyright © 2008 Linda Hodgdon

Where do you begin? It's a frequently asked question. Once we decide that using visual strategies makes sense for a group of students in a classroom, it can become instantly overwhelming.

There are so many ways to use visual strategies, so . . .
where do you begin???

Engineering the Classroom with Visual Strategies has never been offered for sale before. This DVD program is an informal explanation of the procedures that were followed to set up a new classroom with visual strategies. Linda Hodgdon describes the procedures that were followed during her consultation with a classroom staff.


Special Introductory Offer

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Gold Winner, 2006 & 2007 MarCom Creative Award
Gold Winner, 2007 NAPPA Parenting Resources Awards

Linda Hodgdon, M.Ed., CCC-SLP is a Speech- Language Pathologist and a Consultant for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is the author of the bestseller, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication, one of the most recommended books in the field of autism.

Internationally recognized as a powerful and informative speaker and consultant, Linda has presented her insightful and dynamic workshops to audiences of educators and parents worldwide.

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