When it comes to supporting parents, educators, and behavior staff in implementing effective strategies, one thing is clear: visuals change everything. In the world of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and special education, visuals are already an indispensable tool for learners. But what about their power to support the adults on the team? Combined with electronic data collection, visuals not only enhance accessibility but also streamline the process of tracking progress and adjusting strategies effectively.
At ABA Visualized, we’ve spent years fine-tuning the use of step-by-step visuals to break down complex strategies, and the response has been overwhelming. Whether you're training staff, coaching parents, or developing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs), integrating visuals can be a game-changer. Let’s explore the research behind the impact of visuals and how they can transform the way we offer behavior support.
Why Traditional Teaching Methods Fall Short
Imagine receiving a 10-page text document full of jargon and dense instructions. Would you feel confident implementing it? Probably not. We surveyed hundreds of behavior experts, parents, teachers, and behavior staff to find out more about their experiences with BIPs. Our research revealed that when behavior strategies are shared solely through traditional text-based methods, implementation rates plummet. In fact, we found that on average, BIPs included 26 recommended strategies, but teams could only recall an average of 3 strategies.
This isn't just a problem of memory—it's a matter of accessibility and confidence. Parents and teachers, often unfamiliar with technical language, feel overwhelmed. In our survey, we found that 90% of stakeholders reported they would be more likely to use the recommended strategies if they were presented in an easier-to-understand format. When our recommendations are inaccessible, the plans we design with care and expertise fail to reach the learners who need them most.
Visuals: The Key to Engagement, Retention, and Confidence
Visual storytelling transforms the way we communicate behavior strategies. Unlike dense text, visuals leverage the brain's natural ability to process images more efficiently, improving both understanding and retention.
In our surveys, stakeholders using visual behavior plans reported a 30% increase in feeling prepared to address challenging behaviors and a 15% increase in actual use of strategies. That’s a huge improvement in the impact of our support!
Here’s why visuals work so well:
- Better Retention: Studies show people remember 65% of information when paired with visuals, compared to just 10% from text alone (called the “The Picture Superiority Effect”).
- Improved Accuracy: One study found that when diagrams and step-by-step visuals are added to instructions, implementation accuracy rises from 38% to 99% (Graff & Karsten, 2012).
- Increased Engagement: Visuals capture attention and make learning more enjoyable, reducing resistance to new strategies.
A New Era for Behavior Intervention Plans
Traditional BIPs are notorious for being time-consuming to create and difficult to implement. We found that on average, behavior experts spend 3.6 hours writing a single plan, yet team members often fail to fully grasp or utilize them. Introducing BIP Visualized—a tool designed to revolutionize behavior plans with visuals! By using drag-and-drop templates and fill-in-the-blank descriptions, BIP Visualized allows behavior experts to create custom, step-by-step visual BIPs in an average of just 30 minutes. These plans aren’t just quicker to develop—they’re easier to teach, more engaging for stakeholders, and more impactful for learners. In our pilot study, switching to visual BIPs led to a 27% increase in reported positive impact on learners' behaviors.
Parents and educators often feel sidelined by overly technical recommendations, but visual plans make them active participants. One parent who received a visual BIP, even described it as feeling like “a custom-created manual for their child.”
Making Visuals Part of Your Practice
So, how can you integrate visuals into your own services? Here are a few tips:
- Transform Your BIP into a Flow Chart: Instead of listing strategies as bullet points, organize them into 4 categories: Prevent, Teach, Reward, and Respond. Use arrows to connect the strategies, creating a clear step-by-step flow chart that helps the team visualize the plan in action.
- Illustrate Key Strategies: Whether you use ABA Visualized’s resources or create your own, develop relatable, step-by-step illustrations of the recommended strategies. Show what the strategy looks like in a real-life scenario specific to the learner's needs to make it more understandable and actionable for the team.
- Model the Use of Visual Supports: If your plan includes tools like token boards, first-then visuals, or communication devices, bring these supports to your training sessions. Demonstrate how to use them, helping the team actually see the strategy in practice.
- Use Video Modeling: Record short clips demonstrating strategies in action. This gives parents and staff a resource they can revisit anytime, making it easier to practice and implement on their own.
- Upload Visual BIPs into Electronic Data Collection Systems: Platforms like Motivity allow you to upload your visual BIP directly into the system, ensuring behavior staff have easy access to reviewing strategies anytime. BCBAs can also immediately track the impact of visual BIPs on challenging behavior with streamlined data collection, making it easier to adapt plans as needed.
- Post Your Visual BIP for On-the-Spot Support: Print out your visual BIP and hang it in areas where the learner often needs behavior support. This creates a quick and easy cheat sheet for team members to refer to in the moment, ensuring strategies are implemented consistently and effectively.
At ABA Visualized, we believe behavior expertise should be approachable to all. By turning complex strategies into clear, step-by-step visuals, we make it easier for behavior experts, parents, and educators to work together effectively to support our learners. With tools like BIP Visualized, anyone can become a visual storyteller, creating plans that can really make a difference. Get started creating your own visual BIPs for free at bipvisualized.com and lead the way in making behavior expertise more accessible, impactful, and meaningful!
