How to Use Pictures and Colors to Teach Autistic Kids
Work with one single color at a time., Try to avoid overwhelming the child by giving him too many choices., Work with the child to find the right teaching speed., Make sure that everyone involved in the education of the child knows the visual cues...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Work with one single color at a time.
Teaching colors can be very difficult when it comes to autistic children, as they find it hard to make associations.
If the child is surrounded with many items of a similar color, this can be very confusing for him.
Start with one single color at a time and it’s shades.
Keep three pictures in front of the child to show him the difference between light green, dark green and regular green.
In this way he will be able to learn that there are different shades of the same color. -
Step 2: Try to avoid overwhelming the child by giving him too many choices.
A lot of choices can easily make an autistic child confused about what to choose.
In terms of colors, it is very easy for the child to become confused if he is asked to choose a color from a broad range of options.
Try to limit the child’s choices so that he feels confident about what color he is supposed to pick.
For example if you want him to choose red, place just one more color on the desk of a completely different shade, let’s say blue, and then ask him which color is red.
This will prevent him from getting confused by colors that are too similar. , Many parents and teachers make the mistake of taking the learning process too slowly.
They might at one time teach him just one color and keep asking him about it every now and then until they think the child remembers it enough.
However, if a child is just given one thing for a very long time, he might get bored and stop responding to it in the way he supposed to, even if he knows what the right answer to the question “what is this color?” is.
Try to keep up an average learning pace, do not exasperate the child by asking him the same question over and over again.
Pick a color for a week and ask him to recognize it not more than twice a day.
Encourage the right answers by reinforcing the child praise and rewards.
In this way, the child's interest in the subject will stay intact and he will know that something new is coming up each week. , Everyone involved with the child in various capacities
- be it parents, siblings, counsellors, therapists or teachers
- should use the same teaching methods and procedures.
This prevents the child from becoming confused by multiple different learning methods.
This is important, as confusion may cause an autistic child to become anxious and frustrated.
The procedures that are followed in a school setting should be applicable to a home setting and vice versa.
Only then will there be consistency in the training provided to the child. , Some autistic children may have strong preferences when it comes to colors.
These strong feelings of like or dislike might interfere with their learning.
For instance, sometimes the presence of a particular color in a picture
- no matter how subtle it is
- can cloud the mind of the child and prevent him from comprehending the picture as a whole.
Therefore, it helps to understand the child and their individual preferences before you present them with too many colors.
Until you have identified the child's preferences, colors should be kept simple, single and plain instead of making them dual or multi-colored.
In some instances, using black and white pictures is the safest option. -
Step 3: Work with the child to find the right teaching speed.
-
Step 4: Make sure that everyone involved in the education of the child knows the visual cues that the child is used to.
-
Step 5: Be aware that some children may have a strong reaction to certain colors.
Detailed Guide
Teaching colors can be very difficult when it comes to autistic children, as they find it hard to make associations.
If the child is surrounded with many items of a similar color, this can be very confusing for him.
Start with one single color at a time and it’s shades.
Keep three pictures in front of the child to show him the difference between light green, dark green and regular green.
In this way he will be able to learn that there are different shades of the same color.
A lot of choices can easily make an autistic child confused about what to choose.
In terms of colors, it is very easy for the child to become confused if he is asked to choose a color from a broad range of options.
Try to limit the child’s choices so that he feels confident about what color he is supposed to pick.
For example if you want him to choose red, place just one more color on the desk of a completely different shade, let’s say blue, and then ask him which color is red.
This will prevent him from getting confused by colors that are too similar. , Many parents and teachers make the mistake of taking the learning process too slowly.
They might at one time teach him just one color and keep asking him about it every now and then until they think the child remembers it enough.
However, if a child is just given one thing for a very long time, he might get bored and stop responding to it in the way he supposed to, even if he knows what the right answer to the question “what is this color?” is.
Try to keep up an average learning pace, do not exasperate the child by asking him the same question over and over again.
Pick a color for a week and ask him to recognize it not more than twice a day.
Encourage the right answers by reinforcing the child praise and rewards.
In this way, the child's interest in the subject will stay intact and he will know that something new is coming up each week. , Everyone involved with the child in various capacities
- be it parents, siblings, counsellors, therapists or teachers
- should use the same teaching methods and procedures.
This prevents the child from becoming confused by multiple different learning methods.
This is important, as confusion may cause an autistic child to become anxious and frustrated.
The procedures that are followed in a school setting should be applicable to a home setting and vice versa.
Only then will there be consistency in the training provided to the child. , Some autistic children may have strong preferences when it comes to colors.
These strong feelings of like or dislike might interfere with their learning.
For instance, sometimes the presence of a particular color in a picture
- no matter how subtle it is
- can cloud the mind of the child and prevent him from comprehending the picture as a whole.
Therefore, it helps to understand the child and their individual preferences before you present them with too many colors.
Until you have identified the child's preferences, colors should be kept simple, single and plain instead of making them dual or multi-colored.
In some instances, using black and white pictures is the safest option.
About the Author
Charles Ryan
A passionate writer with expertise in hobbies topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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