The Value of Sight

#senseofsight #visualsupports #visuallearners #emotionalregulation #autism #adhd #anxiety

If I have learned anything important in my more than 20 years working with children, it is the importance of the sense of sight in helping those around us when they face difficult times. Everyone generally understands the importance of sight in our lives. Without it we need help to learn to do mundane tasks. Every day we hear advertisements for Lasik surgery and how it can transform our lives. Glasses can transform a young student's life from someone who avoids trying to learn when the teachers presents materials in front of the classroom to someone who now engages and is eager to learn. Most people value their sight, especially as they face struggles with it in their lifetimes.

Our society is learning to use sight to help people learn. We do this unthinkingly when we ask a question and pair it with a gesture to reinforce the message. My husband has learned to help me understand his explanations by drawing a picture for me. There are many times when just hearing information isn't enough to imprint it in our brains. There are many studies that have shown that by pairing lecture, or verbal instruction in general, with visual supports that the brain retains this information better in the long run.

We've heard about visual learners who benefit from slide shows to pair with presentations both in school and in the business world. We not only better engage our audiences when we present information in multi-sensory approaches, but they also learn better. It is common practice among teachers to present information in multiple sensory experiences to increase learning, especially in early to mid-grade education.

What we sometimes forget is that for children who struggle (with behavioral challenges, motivation, internal shame, etc.) it can be important to remember that understanding of verbal directions and guidance is going to be affected by their ability to "hear" the message. When they can be aided with visual supports if they are dysregulated, they can better understand expectations, questions, or guidance to help them to calm down.

Many teachers and counselors will use visual supports like visual schedules to help with comprehension of what is to come. Many people in the fields of special education and mental health will fade these supports because the child or client can often manage to understand without the use of a visual schedule. It is important to remember that using them doesn't have to be a crutch, but a tool for those times when it's an unexpectedly hard day. Being ready and continuing to use these tools regularly can help the child be more responsive to its use when a tough day arises.

I like to use visual prompt cards (like these in my free Mindful Moments) when I am teaching coping skills to my clients. They see the familiar visual card during rehearsals of the coping skill in our individual sessions. They can then keep the cards in a stack where they can practice them at home once they are familiar with the visuals. Parents, caregivers and teachers can use them on a ring to prompt them to use these skills when they are upset without adding to the emotion in the moment with verbal directions.

Even someone with good receptive language abilities (the ability to understand what is said to them) will have more trouble understanding what is said to them when they are upset. When directing clients verbally, I often have more challenges from my clients due to their response to my own emotional state or from their struggle to comprehend me in the moment. I have found many children on the Autism Spectrum, with Anxiety, with ADHD, and other challenges respond so much better when a guiding suggestion is presented visually than when someone gives them directions verbally.

So remember, if someone is acting out and shutting down and not responding to help you may be offering: Try to turn to sight. Use gestures and less words. Model something you want them to do. Practice coping skills and present them on a visual prompt card to suggest that they try it. You will remain calmer in response to their agitated state if you don't have to do a lot of talking. They will be better able to receive this information if they don't also have to process the verbal information you give to them. The power of sight is strong. Make it your partner as you guide those around you.

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Counseling with Leigh Anne - a Teachers Pay Teacher store offering materials for mindfulness practice, expressive arts, and therapeutic approaches like ACT/CBT.