A visual guide, such as the Picture Communication System (PCS) or Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), is a way to represent information using related images. Each image in a pictograph represents a specific thing or instruction.
For children with special needs, visual guides are a fantastic way to help relay how their day will go or show them what they will be doing next. They are easy to create and super affordable (or even free) to make.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to unlock the power of visual guides to support your children with special needs. Read on to find out how to make your own Disneyland visual guide with this step-by-step tutorial.
// I may earn money from the companies mentioned in this post. //
Shout-out to my son’s former teacher, Miss Eleanor, who offered to make us visual guides for his first Disneyland visit post-pandemic. Both of the ones you see here were made by her, and we’re still using them years later!
Luckily, you don’t need a Miss Eleanor! You can make-your-own using this tutorial:
Make Your Own Disneyland Visual Guide
Determine What You Need:
Before you start doing anything, make sure that you have a good idea of what you’ll be doing at Disneyland. Why? Because then your visual guide can include as many options and possible scenarios as possible. You may also want to consider making additional visual guides for travel, the hotel, and any other activities you may do on your trip (like going to the aquarium, a museum, or visiting grandparents).
Next, you’ll need to determine what kind of visual guide you’ll be using: a Strip Visual Guide or a Visual Guide.
This will depend on how you plan to use your visual guide. Does your child respond best to, or only need, one direction at a time (if so, then plan to use a Strip Visual Guide)? Or do they need to see a longer order of events to understand their schedule (if so, then plan to use a Tin Visual Guide)?
A Strip Visual Guide is a stack of laminated images bound together that you can quickly flip through and point a whatever image you need to communicate at that moment.
A Tin Visual Guide is a small tin with a strip of Self-Adhesive Velcro on top of the lid and filled with individual laminated images (each with a Self-Adhesive Velcro Dot on the back). This allows you to add 2-3 images on the lid to show the next sequence of events.
I have both kinds but my son seemed to prefer using the Strip Visual Guide best – your kid may like the Tin Visual Guide better.
About the Visual Guide Download:
To make things really easy for you, I’ve created a download with the images you will need for your trip to and from Disneyland, while at the parks, and outside of the parks. For ease of use, I tried to group them into like categories:
- Travel (airport, car, etc.)
- Wants/Needs (I want, eat/drink, please, etc.)
- Basic Hygiene (toileting, bathing, washing hands, etc.)
- Things to do outside the parks (shopping, museum, aquarium, etc.)
- Things to do at the Disney parks (watch a show, get a picture taken, fireworks, etc.)
- Foods that autistic kids generally like (chicken strips, pasta, ice cream, etc.)
- Souvenirs (balloon, ears, pins, etc.)
- Each Land in each park (Tomorrowland, Cars Land, etc.)
- Nearly every character seen in the parks (Tigger, Black Panther, Mickey Mouse, etc.)*
- Blank templates
*Not a complete or official representation. Disney has lots of seasonal, special-event, and random characters that are not included.
Visual Guide Supply List:
- Printer Paper
- Printer
- Disneyland Visual Guide Template
- Laminate Sheets
- Scissors
- For the Strip Visual Guide:
- For the Visual Guide:
How To Make A Strip Visual Guide:
Step 1:
Download this PDF (*FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY, DISTRIBUTION AND RESALE ARE PROHIBITED*) that I created for you in Canva and print out using plain printer paper and a printer.
Step 2:
Use scissors to cut out the individual images or entire strips that you want on your visual guide.
Step 3:
If you’ve cut out individual images, adhere them in whatever order you desire on the Strip Visual Guide template (cut the strips on the template into three different ones) included in the Canva download (print as many as you need).
Step 4:
Once you’ve created your own strips (or are using the premade ones), use the laminate sheets to laminate your finished Strip Visual Guides.
Step 5:
Trim the laminated strips to be the same size when stacked on top of each other.
Step 6:
Use a hole punch to punch a hole at one end of the stack of visual guides.
Step 7:
Thread the binder ring through the hole in the stack of visual guides and close.
How To Make A Tin Visual Guide:
Step 1:
Download this PDF (*FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY, DISTRIBUTION AND RESALE ARE PROHIBITED*) that I created for you in Canva and print out using plain printer paper and a printer.
Step 2:
Use scissors to cut out the images you want for your Tin Visual Guide.
Step 3:
Use the laminate sheets to laminate your images.
Step 4:
Use scissors to cut them up into individual images.
Step 5:
Adhere a Self-Adhesive Velcro Dot on to the back of each square image (use the same side Self-Adhesive Velcro Dot – either do all the soft side or the rough side).
Step 6:
Adhere a Self-Adhesive Velcro Strip to the top of the Small Tin lid. It’s important that you use the opposite side from the one that you used for the dots!
If the dots were the soft side then use the rough side of the Self-Adhesive Velcro Strip. If the dots were the rough side then use the soft side of the Self-Adhesive Velcro Strip.
Step 7:
Fill the inside of the Small Tin with the individual image squares and close the lid to secure.
Visual Guide Tips and Tricks:
Keep the visual guide close by (either in your pocket, in the stroller, or in a bag).
That way, you can grab it as soon as you need it to communicate with your (probably very impatient) child. I kept mine clipped on to the strap of my crossbody bag.
Try to include images from Disney movies or of Disney characters.
This will allow you to show your child that you’ll be doing the “Little Mermaid” ride next or visiting Mickey Mouse right after dinner.
You’ll need to create those yourself by pulling images from the internet (so long as they are for your own personal use and you do not sell them or any visual guides using them).
Worried about the binder ring on your Strip Visual Guide opening?
Use a small dot of glue to secure the binder ring’s closure.
Use pictures of your child doing activities.
If your child relates better to pictures of real people (as opposed to clip art people) then bust out your camera and take some pics of them eating, standing in line, etc., to use.
Include pictures of everyone going with you.
That way, you can add a picture of grandma plus the food image to show your child that they will be eating dinner with Nana while you ride the Incredicoaster with their sibling.
Which kind of visual guide will you be using for your child?
Special Thanks: ABA Schoolhouse, Able2learn Curriculum, and Miss Dee’s Homeroom (all via TeachersPayTeachers) for your wonderful free PECS images.
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