Are “visuals” in the classroom working towards inclusion or draining the time (and Velcro supplies) of teachers across the country, whether they work in a mainstream or additional support needs (ASN) setting?

You may have heard the phrase “total communication approach”, but what does this mean in practice? Essentially, it is putting structures in place to enhance and promote communication opportunities for children who may have difficulties with processing, listening or concentrating.

Our classes have a wide range of ability and need, and using a visual structure (essentially showing how a day or an activity will look, using a symbol or photo system) can help differentiate instructions and requests so they can be accessed by every pupil. Visuals can be used across specialist and mainstream provisions to support inclusion, increase comprehension and build independence.

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Long read: How to make visual communication tools inclusive

As adults, we use visuals all the time. We use to-do lists, instruction manuals, recipes. These are all incorporating visual structure into our lives to help us plan and undertake activities, and to be independent. Would these not be wonderful skills for our pupils to have, too?

A key thing to remember is that verbal information is transient but visuals are concrete. A verbal instruction is delivered relatively quickly but a visual instruction can be held on to and referred back to.

For a child with increased processing time, the ability to keep an instruction and check it again can be the difference between them understanding and not. Visuals are reliable and predictable, and this reduces anxiety and provides a consistent environment and clear expectations.

Visuals can have different forms, depending on level of development, understanding and comfort of use. Examples include: a full-day or half-day timetable; a “now-and-next timetable” (showing what is happening now and what is happening after); instructions (such as a recipe or a list of steps to complete an art activity); or symbols that show success criteria. They can be objects of reference, photos, symbols or words (yes, words can be a form of visual).

The following image gives an idea of types of visuals you could try.

There is an obvious time constraint; visuals don’t make themselves. It’s a balance between the initial time outlay and the time saved during your lessons. There is less repetition of instructions when effective visuals are available. We can see increased comprehension and reduced anxiety, so interruptions resulting from dysregulated behaviour will be decreased. This gives you more time to work with the pupils on a task, move among pupils, and enjoy the conversations and flow of ideas.

To give a brief overview of the benefits:

• Visuals support all children.

• Visuals are permanent and predictable.

• Visuals allow processing time and retention of information.

• Visuals support routine and transitions, and give clear expectations.

• Visuals give an alternative to verbal delivery and support comprehension.

• Visuals build independence.

• Visuals are transferable between people and places.

• Visuals have no emotion: a symbol shows exactly what is required. An adult delivering an instruction, by contrast, has tone of voice, body language and emotions for a child to process.

• Visuals reduce anxiety.

A question that comes up frequently is: when do I stop or fade the use of visuals? The simple answer is you don’t have to. As adults, we use visuals all the time to maintain our independence and organisation, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with this.

We are not setting children up with unrealistic expectations by using some visuals to help them understand and organise themselves. What we are actually doing is setting them up with some coping strategies for life, work and play, which they can carry right through adulthood.

As an educator, I cannot think of a more valuable use of my time.

Karen McInnes is an ASN (additional support needs) teacher based in Scotland