How do visual aids help students with learning disabilities?

Cards with animal photos.

Teachers that have students with learning disabilities in their classroom, may not always know what the best way to teach them is. One way that can hardly ever go wrong is using visual aids. But how can visual aids help students with learning disabilities? Here are six different visuals that have the potential to help these students if used correctly.

Graphs & Charts

Graphs and charts are great visual aids that can assist students with learning disabilities in many different ways. The most common usage for graphs and charts is used in math classes. However, subjects in the fields of science and social studies also can use these charts and graphs Even in subjects such as English, a chart such as a venn diagram can be useful to more clearly illustrate different lessons to students. Graphs and charts are useful to average students, but when used appropriately can add an exponential amount of value to students who struggle with learning due to disability.

Peer Model

Peer modeling may be useful for students with learning disabilities that require a social aspect to learning. Teachers or fellow students can be used as the peer model. Peer models must be proficient in the modeling for it to be successful. If a peer does not know how to properly model the learning target, then a student with learning disabilities may believe that the incorrect model is the only way to do something, even if shown a correct model later.

Another caution that needs to be addressed with peer modeling, is that the peers who do the modeling must be different. If students with learning disabilities only view one peer modeling everything, then they may believe that nobody else can successfully do the modeling. However, when multiple peers are used this reinforces the learning objective for the student and will increase the student’s ability in correctly performing the task being modeled.

Grouping using animal photo cards.

Photographs

Another visual aid that is useful to help students with learning disabilities grasps concepts more firmly is photography. Photographs that are in color and well focused can help students make connections of what they are learning with the real world. Photographs can be especially useful when needing to introduce topics or ideas that cannot be physically presented in a classroom. Also, photographs can help students learn to recognize things such as animals, important people, or objects that will be useful for them to know. Photos when paired with text can also empower the student with a learning disability to make a deeper and more lasting connection.

Graphics

Graphics can also be a powerful visual aid to help students with learning disabilities. Graphics may appeal more to younger students and be more beneficial to them, while photographs may be more appropriate for older students. Graphics can be more captivating to younger students because they find them to be fun and engaging. Fun and engaging visual aids in the form of graphics can lead to quicker retention, longer lasting retention, and students focusing on their learning assignments for longer periods. This can be extremely useful when working with young students that have learning disabilities because their retention rates and ability to focus will be much smaller than that of their same aged peers.

Videos

One of the most powerful tools that can be used to assist students with learning disabilities, is the usage of videos. Videos can be solely visual aids or can be audiovisuals aids when paired with sound. Videos are great for learning because they use a mixture of different aids such as graphs and charts, graphics, or peer models. Also, videos can be short and to the point offering simplified and easy to understand lessons.

Videos can be short and to the point offering simplified and easy to understand lessons.  

Click the above quote to Tweet.

However, caution must be applied when using videos for any student, especially students with learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities may have a higher probability of becoming entirely reliant on videos to learn. This reliance to technology can be detrimental and could lead to behavioral problems or to attention issues. Videos are great, but prudence must be applied when deciding how often to use videos when helping students with learning disabilities.  

Counting using dice.

Objects

Physical objects such as blocks, props, and other such items can be used as effective visual aids. Objects can be used solely as visual aids but may be paired with tactile learning as well. For example, students with learning disabilities when given blocks to do math problems may use the blocks as a visual aid to help them solve the problem, or they may also touch the blocks to give them more assistance. There are many different ways in which objects can be used to teach those with learning disabilities any subject or idea. Objects are powerful to use with both younger and older students alike.

Take Away

As listed above, there are many ways in which teachers can help students with learning disabilities in their classrooms. Using all of these visual aid methods throughout the variety of taught subjects is recommended. This will prove the most successful when teaching all students the subject, but especially those with learning disabilities.

Works Cited

Meadan, H., Ostrosky, M. M., Triplett, B., Michna, A., & Fettig, A. (2011). Using visual supports with young children with autism spectrum disorder. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(6), 28-35. https://doi-org.bui.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/004005991104300603. 

Using visual supports for students with developmental disabilities. (2021). Catapult Learning. Retrieved Octrober 17, 2021, from https://catapultlearning.com/2016/05/17/using-visual-supports-for-students-with-developmental-disabilities/. 

All images were created by the writer for this article.