The Visual Immersion System (VIS)™ is a flexible framework to help individuals acquire language.
Visual Immersion System Overview
The VIS was developed by Dr. Howard Shane, an internationally renowned clinician in the field of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, in partnership with Boston
Children’s Hospital, and is back by over 20 years of evidence-based research! The VIS is an evidence-based language acquisition system for individuals with developmental disorders. This system is uniquely individualized to each learner’s needs.
Autism Care Partners holds the exclusive license to the Visual Immersion System (VIS). Within our centers, ACP utilizes the VIS across disciplines such as Applied Behavior Analysis, Speech-Language Pathology, and Occupational Therapy.*
*The use of VIS varies by location.
See how the VIS is tailored to each learner’s unique needs
See the VIS in action
Did you know that animating graphic symbols improves comprehension?
In fact, research indicates that both animation and the inclusion of sound within animated graphics aid in comprehension. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
The VIS Addresses Comprehension Difficulties
Did you know that multiple studies support the use of video and
photographic supports to clarify word combinations?
Studies show that these supports, known as scene cues, improve understanding. 12, 13, 14
The Impact of Technology
Did you know that research is driving the use of technology as a
component of the VIS? Electronic screen media is preferred by individuals with ASD. By incorporating that preference, the VIS offers a means of instruction that is inherently motivating.
Whether using technology as an efficient delivery method for visuals or using technology as a support for expressive communication, the VIS has numerous research studies that consider strategies and allow opportunities for growth. 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28
The VIS not only has individually researched components, but also has research to support the model’s effectiveness as a coaching-based intervention. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders published a study on coaching a full team to implement the VIS. Results of the study indicated significant improvement on goals across all participants and individually. Research like this allows insight into the growth of the VIS as a part of Autism Care Partners. 29
Transforming the delivery of services
As shown in the videos, trained therapists and educators can use the VIS to transform the delivery of services through the use of engaging visuals and tools to improve language. When the VIS is implemented across disciplines, it enhances coordination of care.
For professionals and families, this is a fantastic addition to clinical services. Why? Because the VIS can:
• Limit verbal prompting through the use of engaging visuals and tools.
• Improve learners’ independence and reduce learner frustration by clarifying language information with visual cues.
• Address individual needs at a lower cost and younger age, possibly reducing the need for higher cost, or longer-term services as individuals age.
• Support the progression from rote, scripted responses to more flexible and functional communication.
• And more!
Explore the VIS further below!
ACP supports external partnerships to further the reach of the VIS
Are you interested in seeing the VIS at your school?
Are you interested in having your product reflect the VIS framework?
Are you interested in using the VIS in your own clinic?
Contact ACP’s Assistant Vice President of VIS and Partnerships, Kara Morrison-Smith at
KMorrison-Smith@AutismCarePartners.com!
Kara Morrison-Smith, MS, CCC-SLP, ASDCS
Assistant Vice President of VIS and Partnerships
Kara Morrison-Smith is a Speech-Language Pathologist and Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist. In her role as Director of Partnerships and VIS, Kara works collaboratively with Dr. Howard Shane from Boston Children’s Hospital on the implementation and expansion of the Visual Immersion System™ (VIS). As a member of ACP leadership, she consults with clinical teams, collaborates with schools, and develops external partnerships related to the VIS. Decreasing the time it takes for evidence-based practice to be implemented is part of what has driven Kara in her career. In an effort to achieve this forward momentum, Kara emphasizes cross-discipline collaboration, and has presented at ASHA, OCALICON, Milestones, and other conferences on AAC and research-to-practice topics. In addition to the work she does at ACP, Kara serves as a reviewer for the journal TEACHING Exceptional Children.
“Technology provides the opportunity for children to learn in ways that were never before possible.”
– Dr. Howard C. Shane
Evidence supporting the Visual Immersion System™ (VIS™)
Visual Supports And Mobile Technology
¹ Delivery of VIS instruction includes empirically-supported behavioral principles (Shane et al., 2014)
2 Electronic screen media is preferred by individuals with ASD (Shane et al., 2008)
3 Mobile technologies are effective in terms of communication for children with developmental disabilities (Alzrayer et al., 2014; Kagohara et al., 2012; Shane et al., 2012)
4 Video modeling is a technique that has been declared as an evidence-based practice (National Center for Autism, 2015; Odom et al., 2010)
5 Visual supports have been identified as an evidence-based practice (National Center for Autism, 2015; Odom et al., 2010)
Animation Of Graphic Symbols
6 Choe, N., Shane, H. C., Schlosser, R. W., Haynes, C. W., & Allen, A. DirectiveFollowing Based on Graphic Symbol Sentences Involving an Animated Verb Symbol: An Exploratory Study, Communication Disorders Quarterly. November, 2020,
https://doi.org/10.1177/1525740120976332
7 Schlosser R. W., Brock K. L., Koul R, Shane H, Flynn S. Does Animation Facilitate Understanding of Graphic Symbols Representing Verbs in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder? J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2019 Apr 15;62(4):965-978. doi: 10.1044/2018_JSLHR-L-18-0243. PMID: 30986148.
8 Schlosser, R. W., Koul, R., Shane, H., Sorce, J., Brock, K., Harmon, A., Moerlein, M. & Hearn, E. (2014). Effects of animation on naming and identification across two graphic symbols sets representing actions and prepositions. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 57, 1779-1791.
9 Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H.C., Sorce, J., Koul, R., & Bloomfield, E. (2011). Identifying performing and underperforming graphic symbols for verbs and prepositions in animated and static formats: A research note. Augmentative and Alternative
Communication, 27, 205-214.
10 Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H.C., Sorce, J., Koul, R., Bloomfield, E., Debrowski, L., DeLuca, T., Miller, S., Schneider, D., & Neff, A. (2012). Animation of graphic symbols representing actions and prepositions: Effects on transparency, name agreement, and identification. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 55, 342-358.
Environmental Sounds Added To Graphic Symbols
11 Harmon, A. C., Schlosser, R. W., Gygi, B., Shane, H. C., Kong, Y. Y., Book, L., … & Hearn, E. (2014). Effects of environmental sounds on the guessability of animated graphic symbols. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 30(4), 298-313.
Scene Cues
12 Anna A. Allen, Howard C. Shane, Ralf W. Schlosser & Charles W. Haynes (2021) The effect of cue type on directive-following in children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, DOI: 10.1080/07434618.2021.1930154
13 Remner, R., Baker, M., Karter, C., Kearns, K., & Shane, H. C. (2016). Use of augmented input to improve understanding of spoken directives by children with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder. eHEARSAY, Journal of the Ohio Speech Language Hearing Association, 6(3), 4-10.
14 Schlosser, R. W., Laubscher, E., Sorce, J., Koul, R., Flynn, S., Hotz, L., Shane, H. (2013). Implementing directives that involve prepositions with children with autism: A comparison of spoken cues with two types of augmented input. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 29, 132–145. doi:10.3109/07434618.2013.784928
Repurposing Technology
15 Allen, A. A., Shane, H. C., & Schlosser, R. W. (2018). The Echo™ as a speaker independent speech recognition device to support children with Autism: An exploratory study. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 2, 69-74. doi: 10.1007/s41252-017-0041-5
16 Alzrayer, N., Banda, D.R. & Koul, R.K. Use of iPad/iPods with Individuals with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities: A Meta-analysis of Communication Interventions. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 1, 179–191 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-014-0018-517.
17 Kagohara, D. M., van der Meer, L., Ramdoss, S., O’Reilly, M. F., Lancioni, G. E., Davis, T. N., et al. (2013). Using iPods- and iPads® in teaching programs for individuals with developmental disabilities: A systematic review. Research in Developmental Disabilities. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.07.027.
18 National Autism Center. (2015). Findings and conclusions: National standards project, phase 2. Randolph, MA: Author
19 O’Brien, A., O’Brien, M., Schlosser, R. W., Yu, C., Allen, A. A., …& Shane, H.C. (2017). Repurposing consumer products as a gateway to just-in-time communication. Seminars in Speech and Language, 38(4), 297-312.
20 O’Brien, A, Schlosser, R. Shane, H. Wendt, O. Yu, C. Allen, A. Cullen, J. Benz, A. O’Neill, L. (2020) Providing visual directives via a smart watch to a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder: an intervention note, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 36:4, 249-257, DOI: 10.1080/07434618.2020.1862299
21 O’Brien, A., Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H. C., Yu, C., Abramson, J., Allen, A. A., …& Dimery, K. (2016). Just-in-time visual supports for children with autism via the Apple Watch: A pilot feasibility study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders,
46(12), 3818-3823. doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2891-5
22 Odom, S. L., Collet-Klingenberg, L., Rogers, S. J., & Hatton, D. D. (2010). Evidence-Based Practices in Interventions for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 54(4), 275–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/10459881003785506
23 Schlosser, R. W., O’Brien, A., Yu, C., Abramson, J., Allen, A. A., …& Shane, H. C. (2017). Repurposing everyday technologies to provide just-in-time visual supports to children with intellectual disability and autism: A pilot feasibility study with the Apple
Watch. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 63, 221-227.
24 Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H. C., Allen, A. A., Abramson, J., Laubscher, E., & Dimery, K. (2015, October 10). Just-in-time supports in augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 28(1), 177-
193. doi: 10.1007/s10882-015-9452-2
25 Shane, H. C. (2006). Using visual scene displays to improve communication and communication instruction in persons with autism spectrum disorders. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 15(1), 8–13. doi:10.1044/aaspoken5.1.8
26 Shane, H.C., Albert, P.D. Electronic Screen Media for Persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Results of a Survey. J Autism Dev Disord 38, 1499–1508 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0527-5
27 Shane, H. C., Laubscher, E., Schlosser, R. W., Flynn, S., Sorce, J. F., & Abramson, J. (2012). Applying technology to visually support language and communication in individuals with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42, 1228–1235.
28 Yu, C., Shane, H., Schlosser, R. W., O’Brien, A., Allen, A., Abramson, J., & Flynn, S. (2018). An exploratory study of speech-language pathologists using the Echo Show™ to
deliver visual supports. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 2, 286-292. doi:10.1007/s41252-018-0075-3
VIS™ Clinical Model
29 Schlosser, R., Shane, H., Allen, A., Benz, A., Cullen, J., O’Neill, L., Chiesa, L. Lisa Miori-Dinneen, L. Coaching a School Team to Implement the Visual Immersion System™in a Classroom for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Proof-of- Concept Study (2021). Adv Neurodev Disord. DOI 10.1007/s41252-020-00176-5
Complimentary Clinical Textbooks
30 Shane HC, Laubscher EH, Schlosser R, Fadie H, Sorce J, Abramson J, Flynn S, Corley K. Enhancing communication for individuals with autism. A guide to visual immersion system™. 2014 Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Co.
31 Shane HC, Weiss-Kapp S. Visual language in autism. San Diego: Plural Publishing, 2007.
*VIS™ is a registered trademark of Boston Children’s Hospital’s Visual Immersion System and licensed exclusively to Autism Care Partners.
Autism Care Partners has centers across New England and New York
Find the nearest Autism Care Partners center by entering your zip code!
Build a brighter tomorrow
Let’s come together to create a brighter future for our little ones and make a life-changing impact for children and families at Autism Care Partners. At ACP, we offer a comprehensive range of services all in one place, including ABA Therapy, Diagnostic Evaluations, Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.
*Please note that services vary by location.
