Shoe Snapshot

  • Situation

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

  • Summary

    Provide visuals to cue the student when he/she 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 on a bin to hold the shoes. When it is time to leave the student sees the pictures and his shoes right by the door. This enables him to understand he only needs to wear his shoes when leaving his ‘home base’. An additional visual cue can be an icon of shoes that is placed on his schedule.

  • Definition

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

  • Quick Facts

    • Child's Age: 3-5, 6-10, 11-13
    • Planning Effort: Low
    • Difficulty Level: Easy
  • Pre-requisites

    Ability to comprehend the meaning of pictures or objects

  • Process

    1. Use clip art, Mayer Johnson icons, an object representing shoes or a photo of the child’s own shoe as a visual.

    2. Place the picture on the exit door of your classroom.

    3. Place a bin by the door with a visual of a shoe/s on the bin.

    4. When your student wants to remove his shoes in his Home Base classroom (special education room), have him place the shoes in the bin by the door.

    5. Determine when he will transition outside the classroom and place a ‘shoe’ icon on his schedule at the appropriate times right next to the place he is transitioning to – such as art or music or lunch in a horizontal fashion.

    6. When it is time to transition outside the classroom show the student the schedule icon.

    7. Cue the student to the door pointing to the picture of shoes.

    8. Once the shoes are on verbally reinforce the student.

  • Documents and Related Resources

    This resource was authored by Watson Institute Special Education Consultant, Lisa Plastino, M.Ed.

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