Lee Marcus, PhD

Professor and Interim Director of Training, TEACCH

We put a lot of importance on what’s called "Visual Supports." This is ways of presenting information in a way that the person can see it and understand it that way. And one of the reasons that visual supports are important for someone with autism is that by and large almost everyone who struggles with autism has difficulty with auditory processing, with information that comes through their auditory sense. In addition to that, people with autism have trouble focusing in on things that are relevant; they have difficulty with their auditory attention. The thing about visuals is that they’re permanent and something a person can refer to and check back with. Whereas something a person tells them comes and goes quickly and doesn’t really leave a trace that you can follow up on.