How can we better tap into visual thinking skills in the education of children with autism?
If a child is a visual thinker you have got to incorporate drawing, Legos, and other visual things. We need to be building that strength. My mother really emphasized my interest in drawing. She did everything she could to encourage that. We need to be looking at what kinds of jobs these kids can have when they grow up—graphic design, photography, industrial design—fields that really use visual thinking skills. The movie did a great job of showing how I think in pictures. The word “horse” is said and a whole bunch of different horse pictures come up. When I design things it is the same – I can actually test run them in my head. Another kid might be a mathematics kid, so you work on the math. We have to build on the area of strength. Kids need to be working on their work skills young.
