In this course, AsIAm, Ireland’s Autism Charity is delighted to support parents of Autistic people to understand the importance and use of visual supports in the daily lives of their Autistic family members. Expert advice will be provided throughout the course by Amanda McGuinness, Prepare Me AsIAm Manager, Autism & Visual Support Specialist. This strengths focused course supports parents to understand Autism through a neuro-affirming lens, it further supports parents to identify the key differences in social communication, imagination and interaction that Autistic people experience. Autistic strengths are the focal point of this course, with Autistic visual processing taking center stage to empower parents to understand the why behind the use of visual supports.
Autistic community members attending school, the workforce and raising families share their lived experiences to support parents understanding of the exceptional nature of Autistic visual processing strengths and the importance of empowering this strength through the use of visual supports in the daily lives of their Autistic families members. The course provides information on what are visuals supports, what do visuals supports do, and what makes a visual support truly effective, and how to design visual supports from a UDL perspective.
Listen as Psychologist Dr Emma Bagnall supports and frames for parents the importance of using visual supports throughout the daily lives of their Autistic family members. Furthermore senior Speech and Language therapists, Sarah Kelly, Jenny Hillier, Lisa O’Brien, Caitríona Ní Charragáin, Julie Holmes provide expert advice on topics such as the importance of using visual supports, avoiding the use of PECS, symbolism in the use and design of visual supports, introducing visual supports with your family member, supporting AAC users to utilise visual supports and using visual supports as a gestalt language processor.
