Social Visual Guide Framework

Free Social Visual Guide Resource from Flourish Autism

At Little Puddins, I have always believed in creating resources that bring clarity, predictability, and support to Autistic children and their families. Today, I am excited to share an important new resource created by my colleagues and I over on Flourish Autism Consultancy and Training: a free framework, and editable Social Visual Guide template that families, schools, and community groups can use immediately.

What is a Social Visual Guide?

A Social Visual Guide is a simple yet powerful support that combines images with short, factual text to explain everyday activities and events. Social Visual Guides answer the essential questions of when, where, who, what, how, and what if, helping Autistic people prepare for routines, changes, and new experiences.

Unlike traditional approaches, Social Visual Guides are neuro-affirmative. They are not about compliance, but about creating clarity, reducing stress, and respecting Autistic ways of processing information.

A Robust Information Framework

The Flourish Social Visual Guide Framework has been developed as a comprehensive, evidence-informed model. It is grounded in a robust theoretical and practical foundation that integrates four key domains:

• Autistic-led Theory and Research
  The framework is informed by foundational contributions from Autistic scholars, including Milton’s articulation of the Double Empathy Problem, Murray, Lesser and Lawson’s theory of Monotropism, and Doherty et al.’s Autistic SPACE model. These perspectives ensure that Social Visual Guides are constructed in ways that respect Autistic processing, affirm identity, and reduce barriers created by mis-attunement or environmental assumptions.

• Universal Design and Accessibility Standards
  Drawing on established national and international guidance (Government of Ireland, 2023; NALA, 2008; Inclusion Ireland, 2025), the framework embeds the principles of clarity, predictability, and accessibility. This ensures that resources are consistently usable across contexts and align with broader commitments to equity and inclusive practice.

• Applied Guidance for Families, Schools, and Community Settings
  The framework provides structured, practical pathways for designing, adapting, and implementing Social Visual Guides. Its emphasis on sustainability, individualisation, and adaptability allows it to be applied effectively across home, school, and community environments.

• Neuro-affirmative Principles of Practice
  Central to the framework is the rejection of compliance-based or deficit-focused models. Instead, it affirms Autistic autonomy, validates all forms of communication, and emphasises co-regulation, safety, and authentic participation. By focusing on accessibility rather than correction, the framework ensures that Autistic rights and dignity remain at the forefront.

Taken together, these domains establish a rigorous and holistic foundation. The Flourish Social Visual Guide Framework is therefore unique in being simultaneously academically grounded, practically applicable, and shaped by Autistic lived experience. Families, schools, and community groups can utilise the resource with confidence, knowing it reflects best practice, contemporary research, and neuro-affirmative values.

My New Role at Flourish Autism Consultancy and Training

As Little Puddins enters its second decade, I am also stepping into an exciting new chapter. I have been appointed as Director of Autism Advocacy and Professional Practice at Flourish Autism Consultancy and Training, an Autistic-led organisation providing neuro-affirmative training, consultation, and resources across Ireland and beyond.

Through my role at Flourish, I am available to:

• Deliver Autism and inclusion training for schools, early years settings, and organisations

• Provide one-to-one and group consultations for families and professionals

• Support with visual supports, communication tools, and inclusive strategies

You can learn more and book training or consultations through Flourish Autism Consultancy and Training here.

Why the Flourish Social Visual Guide Framework and Template Is So Important

Families, schools, and Autism-focused groups across Ireland consistently identified the need for a practical, professional, and neuro-affirmative framework to support the effective design and implementation of Social Visual Guides. At Flourish, we have responded to this call by creating a resource that is both academically rigorous and immediately usable. The framework is designed to reduce barriers, affirm Autistic identity, and provide clarity and predictability in ways that respect Autistic processing and communication differences.

This free resource offers more than a set of templates. It represents a systematic approach to practice that integrates Autistic-led theory, universal design standards, and real-world application across home, school, and community contexts. It is deliberately accessible to ensure that families, educators, and professionals can begin creating meaningful, personalised supports without delay.

To ensure families and schools can put this resource into practice straight away, Flourish has developed a free editable template.

• Add your own photos or symbols.

• Insert short, accessible text.

• Share digitally or print for daily use.

This template makes it easy to create personalised guides that reflect the real environments and experiences of the child or young person.

By embedding neuro-affirmative principles throughout, the framework shifts responsibility from the individual to the environment, emphasising that it is systems and contexts which must adapt. In doing so, it reinforces Flourish’s ethos: that Autistic people have the right to clarity, dignity, and respect, and that supports should enable authentic participation rather than demand compliance.

The launch of this framework and free template marks only the beginning. At Flourish, we remain committed to developing further resources, training, and guidance that are informed by Autistic voices and lived experience. Our goal is to ensure that families and professionals alike are equipped with tools that are not only practical, but also transformative in how they shape understanding, relationships, and opportunities for Autistic people.

We invite you to access, use, and adapt the Flourish Social Visual Guide Framework and Template, and to join us in fostering environments where Autistic children and young people are not simply accommodated, but are able to flourish. You can access the resource here.