tools typically include speech-generation functionality, eye tracking, and other advanced features, such as those shown in the DynaVox suite of devices.2 In other cases, these artifacts represent activities that will take place (or have taken place) arranged in temporal order to augment understanding of time, events, and places, a tool known as a visual schedule

In these cases, visual supports are used to augment communication, in much the same way that sign language can be a visual representation of language for someone with a hearing impairment. High-tech devices for augmentative and alternative communication can also help children with special needs build language skills over time

wide variety of visual tools. These artifacts draw on words, images, and tangible objects to represent both concrete and abstract real-world concepts. Use of these visual artifacts has been shown to reduce the symptoms associated with cognitive, communication, and social disabilities, in particular for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) [9].

The inherent communicative nature of educational settings makes learning challenging with limited verbal communication

Visual supports are “those things we see that enhance the communication process” [22] and can be an incredible aid for children learning about the world around them

Visual supports can be the kinds of things that we see in everyday life to support communication, such as body language or natural cues within the environment [22]. They can also be tools explicitly created to support individuals who may have trouble interpreting naturally occurring visual cues (Fig. 1). These constructed artifacts sometimes use images or tangible objects to represent simple everyday needs and elements of basic communication