| A child or adult with Autism or a Communication | | | | they may not be processed at the speed expected. |
| disorder will have difficulties fitting into our extremely | | | | This lag in processing time can create resistance, |
| verbal world. These difficulties can create isolation | | | | immature behavior, odd play, tantrums or reluctance |
| from others and threatening walls of silence. | | | | to participate. As a result the normal teaching |
| However, there is a specific sub group of people | | | | methods that are based on processing incoming |
| diagnosed with these disorders who have a | | | | language can fail. |
| hyper-visual system. In these cases, when the visual | | | | Sequencing & Associating |
| system is harnessed, teaching communication | | | | Visual people often use the brain's Associator to |
| becomes much easier. | | | | form memories. They learn of a new idea and they |
| I Rode the Train, I Want to be an Engineer | | | | relate that idea to their own knowledge base. The |
| Hyper-visual people are experiencing visually when | | | | opposite of the Associator is the Sequencer from |
| speaking. Their communications may appear to be | | | | the verbal pathway. |
| almost nonsensical rambling but in fact they are | | | | The Sequencer is rigid and ordering, one sound |
| following a very logical pattern. The difference is the | | | | following another to make a word, words produced |
| pattern followed is visual rather than verbal. The | | | | in specific order to form grammatically correct |
| exchange below illustrates this point. | | | | sentences and ideas linked in order to make |
| I asked Mark, a college student, "How did you get | | | | paragraphs. |
| here today?" He replied, I took the train in from Long | | | | The Associator is time-independent and the |
| Island. My family went to the beach (Mark was | | | | Sequencer is very time based. Understanding |
| seeing himself on the train but did not say this). | | | | consequences depends on a time based |
| Maybe I will be a engineer. The reason I like | | | | understanding of cause and effect. |
| engineering is that there are serious problems. (Mark | | | | My son, Whitney, at age 4, wanted to jump off of |
| was thinking about being a transportation engineering | | | | the roof to fly like Superman, without understanding, |
| and designing train tracks and freeway intersections) | | | | from verbal reasoning, the danger involved. Whitney |
| I have always been good in math. When teachers | | | | would sit mesmerized watching Disney's Snow White |
| are difficult to understand. (Mark is seeing himself at | | | | as if he were deaf. In fact, at times, I could scream |
| school doing well except when the teacher is | | | | in his ear and he could not hear me even though all |
| confusing and then associating to a video he | | | | of the parts of his ear to brain physiology were |
| watched about Einstein)Like Dr. Einstein- There was | | | | judged to be normal. At these times his visual brain |
| an exhibit on Einstein at the history museum did you | | | | powered by his associator were shutting down his |
| see it? | | | | verbal sensory system. |
| Mark was attempting to answer my question but his | | | | If the pictures drive the thought, children can appear |
| picture mind took him on quite a ride as one picture | | | | to be oblivious to cause and effect. They may |
| blended into the next from the train- to a vacation | | | | disregard threatened consequences. Often Mavericks |
| to an engineering career to Einstein, at the museum. | | | | feel that they must complete the pattern to finish |
| The expected answer was "TRAIN". This very verbal | | | | the thought they have developed through the |
| illustration demonstrates how the visual pathway can | | | | associator before they can transition to the next |
| create leap-frog thinking-which to verbal people can | | | | idea. If the thought is disrupted the Maverick may hit |
| seem like impulsivity. | | | | a wall and resort to talking with lines from a movie or |
| Instead of negotiating the world with verbal | | | | echoing what was said or get stuck like a broken |
| reasoning, a visual person often negotiates with | | | | record and repeat the same thing over and over |
| patterns. As a result the "sameness of routines" | | | | again. |
| becomes the template to make sense of the chaos | | | | With the appropriate training, Mavericks can learn |
| of everyday life. We refer to these visual learners as | | | | effective verbal communication. The teaching |
| "Mavericks." We often ask Mavericks to adjust to | | | | methods must first then harness the visual system |
| changes in schedule or adjustments in plans based on | | | | first before moving forward to teaching |
| how we typically explain things - by talking. These | | | | communication. |
| words can create more confusion and frustration as | | | | |