Visuals (i.e. communication aids such as simple drawings, letters, timelines, written words etc) are extremely useful when used with vulnerable people whose language skills are compromised because of some sort of a neurodiversity or with those who are still developing language and communication skills e.g. children.

 

Visuals are permanent whereas the spoken word disappears as soon as it has been said. Listening and remembering spoken information can be extremely taxing to a vulnerable person's working auditory memory. Visuals remain as a memory aid as long as they are left in sight. They are concrete and tangible whereas speech is abstract and intangible. Visuals may look simplistic to the lay person however their efficacy and usefulness are dependent on the manner in which they are selected, introduced and managed. 

 

Visuals are also highly effective in stressful situations. They take the pressure off having to speak when users are highly anxious or whe they are outside their window of tolerance (Siegel 2020).  They can be used in a range of situations, some of which are:

• To request a break

• To confirm the vulnerable individual has understood

• To regulate the vulnerable person's emotions

• To narrate an event in the correct order

• To answer number related questions (e.g. "How many...?")

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Siegel Dan 2020. The Developing Mind, Third Edition: How Relationships and the Brain Interact to Shape Who We Are