Child Behavior Strategy: Shoe Snapshot Visual Cuing

What is the Shoe Snapshot Child Behavior Strategy?

“Shoe Snapshot” is a strategy of visual cuing that can easily prompt understanding of when a child can have their shoes on and when they need to replace them.

Example:

I have a student in my special education classroom who continually wants to take off their shoes. I allow this in my room but I can’t have them walking through the school without their shoes. When it is time for an outside class, I try to explain this to the student and start putting on their shoes. The child will then throw them and cry or scream. What can I do?

Using Visual Cuing Strategies

Provide visuals to cue the student when they must put on the shoes. Visuals can include a picture of feet with shoes on, placed on the door the child exits from, and a visual of shoes coming off placed in a bin to hold the shoes.

When it is time to leave, the student sees the pictures and their shoes right by the door. This enables the child / student to understand they only need to wear their shoes when leaving their ‘home base’. An additional visual cue can be an icon of shoes that is placed on their schedule.

Quick Facts

Child’s Age: 3-13
Planning Effort: Low
Difficulty Level: Easy

Requirements

The ability to comprehend the meaning of pictures or objects.

Visual representation of a child putting their shoes on as a reminder in the shoes snapshot behavior strategy for students - Watson Institute

Process

Use clip art, Mayer Johnson icons, an object representing shoes, or a photo of the child’s own shoe as a visual.
Place the picture on the exit door of your classroom.
Place a bin by the door with a visual of a shoe/s in the bin.
When your student wants to remove their shoes in their Home Base classroom (special education room), have them place the shoes in the bin by the door.
Determine when the student will transition outside the classroom and place a ‘shoe’ icon on their schedule at the appropriate times right next to the place they are transitioning to – such as art or music or lunch in a horizontal fashion.
When it is time to transition outside the classroom, show the student the schedule icon.
Cue the student to the door, pointing to the picture of shoes.
Once the shoes are on, verbally reinforce the student.

Visual Cuing Resources

This resource was authored by Watson Institute Special Education Consultant, Kara Parsons, M.Ed.

If you have questions or concerns about the Watson Institute’s use of this information, please contact us.