Visual Strategies for Receptive Communication

Visual strategies are widely used to support the receptive communication of individuals with severe disabilities. This chapter describes various forms of visual strategies that have been used to enhance receptive communication with nonverbal and minimally verbal individuals with severe disabilities. The strengths and limitations of these visual strategies to support receptive communication are addressed. This chapter also provides a selective overview of research on the use of three strategies (i.e., augmented input, Social Stories™, and visual activity schedules) that have been used to enhance receptive communication skills of people with limited or no speech. Directions for future research in this area will be discussed.