| Communication skills for autistic children differ from the | | | | words and develop communication skills that allow |
| norm, including their thinking process. Children with | | | | them to function in society. It is easier to express |
| autism find words too busy, so it's easier to retain | | | | themselves within a structured environment, because, |
| information through pictures. Through remembrance of | | | | they think visually, it's important that they are taught |
| pictures, autistic children are able to understand others | | | | using visuals, such as pictures, objects, line drawings, or |
| and express themselves. | | | | symbols. |
| Autistic children learn verbal language by converting | | | | A string of words or verbal instructions are learned |
| text to pictures. While typical thinkers do tasks | | | | through visual demonstration. For instance, the word |
| sequentially, those with autism have a visual style of | | | | "up" is easier to express in a picture of balloons in soft |
| thinking. Therefore, shapes of pictures and color of | | | | colors being lifted upward. Concrete visual methods, |
| pictures play an important role in the way they think. | | | | like flashcards and blocks in soft colors, are easier to |
| They help autistic children learn a vocabulary that is | | | | retain among autistic children and help in teaching |
| easier to express. | | | | numbers and other concepts. Long verbal phrases |
| According to research, individuals with autism think | | | | need to be avoided or written down because autistic |
| visually because the part of the brain associated with | | | | children have difficulty remembering a lot of steps or |
| visual tasks is more active. In addition, the language and | | | | word sequences. |
| spatial centers in the cortical regions of the brain are | | | | Research that compared the brain regions of people |
| not as synchronized as those without the disorder. | | | | with autism to those without found that most people |
| Visual thinking allows children with autism to | | | | with autism excel in art and drawing. As such, autistic |
| compensate for spoken and written words. Because | | | | children do well with a color coded system that allows |
| their brains function differently, they can better | | | | them to think through a remembrance of pictures. For |
| comprehend things by building visuals and memorizing | | | | example, an autistic child learns about what to do at an |
| them. They take concepts, which are sensory rather | | | | intersection by thinking of its concept. These thoughts |
| than word based, and compartmentalize them into little | | | | are tiny color coded pictures of various types of |
| details to form a whole picture. | | | | intersections. When the situation arises, the mind |
| Abstract words and ideas can be taught through visual | | | | gathers this information and presents it visually so the |
| concepts, like pictures and objects. For example, if a | | | | autistic child remembers what to do at an intersection. |
| particular stuffed animal makes a child happy, it would | | | | Autistic children think in pictures instead of words |
| become their visual symbol for the word happy. Bright | | | | because it is easier for them to sort and retain |
| colors for pictures can stimulate brain activity in the | | | | information. By associating a noun to the color and |
| thinking process of autistic children. | | | | shape of pictures or objects, the autistic child creates |
| Through spatial memory to pictures or objects, people | | | | a spatial way of thinking that makes it easier for them |
| with autism are able to associate the appropriate | | | | to comprehend and communicate. |