Do you like to try something new? I was looking for a quick and easy breakfast option for those days when I'm on the go. There were some breakfast wraps in the frozen food department. Certainly quick & easy.

I brought them home, eager to taste one.

Here are the instructions:
Step one: Tear open one end of pouch
(they are packed in a clear plastic baggie pouch)
Step two: Place in microwave on a plate
Step three: Microwave for 2 minutes
Step four:

Now here is the part that surprised me
Step four: Remove breakfast wrap from pouch before eating

Guess what???
I would have figured that out. I would not have tried to eat
the plastic packaging. To me, that step was assumed. But
here is the question.

Why was Step 4 there?
Hmmm . . . I wonder . . . How many people tried to eat the plastic?

Think about teaching all the routines of life
I began to think about the students I have worked with. Some of them would have needed Step 4. In all honesty, a couple of the teachers would probably have needed it too.

STOP!
Please understand. I am not trying to make fun. But
remember . . . the people who created the directions for
those breakfast wraps recognized that some people need more specific instructions than others.

And think about this. The teacher who needs Step 4 may be more likely to include it for his or her students than the teacher who assumes Step 4.

Do you get my point?
We all don't think alike or learn alike. Are you one of those people who reads all the directions and then follows them step-by-step? Or do you just figure it out without consulting them? Can you see how this applies to more than just breakfast wraps?

Does your style match your students?
Your own style will guide how you teach all those routines
of life. The challenge is to pick the right steps to help
each student succeed.

I get lots of questions about what kinds of
visuals to use to teach a routine
People ask about photos and line drawings. Should the sequence be vertical or horizontal? Is it better to hang visual supports on a wall or put them in a book?

But I don't get many questions about the steps in the routine
What I do hear is some people's frustration because the students are not performing the routines successfully.

So here's something to think about
What information do we assume our students know? Is there something that is not so obvious to them? Are we including
all the steps? Is there anything we need to add for them to
perform successfully?

This is an issue that can apply to all students
But those on the Autism Spectrum may be likely to experience more difficulty than others. Challenges in thinking, reasoning, observation, imitation, comprehension and related skills can affect their ability to understand the assumed.

Sometimes our students need to be specifically taught skills or steps that other students figure out without instruction. I wonder how many behavior problems and social skill challenges have a root in this need for more support?

If everything is going well. . .
Good. But if there are some glitches. . .think about what extra information you might include to make the difference.

They call me the "Queen of Visuals"
Using visual strategies is important for our students. But visual strategies will work best if they are used for giving just the right amount of information.

Copyright © 2007 Linda Hodgdon

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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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