Visual Supports for Students with Severe Disabilities

As we have learned, there are many iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch applications that can assist students with mild, moderate, and even severe disabilities.  Many students, especially those with cognitive disabilities, autism, and/or multiple disabilities, have difficulty with personal organization and self-management.  Applications that can be downloaded onto an iPhone or iPad can assist students with these skills.

Visual supports, such as picture schedules, can assist students with understanding what is expected from them and what they will be seeing or participating in throughout the day.   These applications can be used both in the classroom learning environment, as well as in their home and in their community.  When picture schedules are used over time, students begin to build independent skills in the areas of self-care and vocational tasks.

Many picture schedules, such as the iPrompt application, assist students with not only giving them visuals of what their day will look like, but also provides them with options to make choices during meals and snacks, as well as a countdown timer.