Visual Scenes: How we teach home/community messages in the therapy room

Visual scene displays. Why do we like them?

What they ARE: Visual scene displays are primarily used for AAC users who have difficulty navigating through categorically based buttons for what they want/need. For example, finding your favorite show "The Bachelor" may mean navigating to word lists categories, then to tv, then to shows, then to The Bachelor. Visual scene displays make it easier (and faster!) to find what you need. If there is a photo of your living room on your page, you can click on living room, then touch the tv in the living room and your favorite tv shows will show up! By activating the tv button on the scene, the user can easily say "I want to watch tv" by pushing only 2 buttons.
What they AREN'T: Visual scene displays should not replace teaching/use of core vocabulary. For example, they aren't created to use as "labeling" things in a room. When a child touches the couch, the message activated should be "let's sit on the couch" instead of simply "couch".
Great in theory, but just how are we going to teach AAC users to use this awesome feature while in our therapy rooms? Keep reading...

What devices can have visual scene displays?

I have been using visual scenes on the Dynavox Compass software, but visual scenes are available on the Novachats, Accents as well as in some apps (GoTalkNow, Autismate, Chatable, TouchChat, Scene & Heard and Scene Speak).

How do we teach visual scene displays in the therapy room?

I started with Unique Learning System's "Navid's House". This story is about a little boy and places in his house. This is a good starting point!

All ULS curriculum comes with supplemental activities. I like using the pictures of rooms in Navid's house. Laminated, you can stick Velcro or Tack it on manipulatives (like the refrigerator, plate, spoon) to put in the rooms. Once your student understands each room individually, you can add the sorting task for items mixed from different rooms! I usually pair kitchen and living room together. 

 

Then comes the fun part! Take screen shot from the child's visual scene on their device or use a larger photo of the room in their own house like this one. Excuse the white dots, they are my Velcro pieces! I used a screen shot because it includes the layout of the software-including the quickfires and word lists especially.

You can then find images of their favorite things in the kitchen (maybe a specific cup, snack or chair) and laminate those for use. I interchange the symbol from ULS with the photographs to determine what works best for the student. I also like teaching them the association between the symbols and familiar photographs. As with anything, I fade the cues until the student has reached mastery of these skills.

Materials for extra practice:

I always choose something for carryover of the skill into other areas of therapy. This could be for play-based language, sentence building, or naming! Here's the Melissa and Doug reusable sticker pad I like with house scenes. The students really like to make "silly" scenes using these stickers-and then make "silly" sentences of course!

 Who doesn't love a good app? "Toca House" by Toca Boca and "House of Learning" by Smarty Ears are great apps that focus on household places and even chores! Check them out by clicking on the  screenshot :)

I hope you found this helpful! This post was inspired by my dilemma on how to teach visual scenes in my therapy room. Of course it's best to teach in the environment, but since we don't all have the luxury of going to our students' homes, this is my solution!

Happy speeching,

Jenna