Little Finch — VIS visual language framework

Little Finch is the new home of VIS, a research-informed visual language framework that helps neurodivergent learners communicate, connect, and participate through visual language.

What is VIS?

The Visual Immersion System (VIS) is a flexible framework that uses visual supports to help learners acquire and use language. VIS is individualized to each learner and can be used across therapy sessions, classrooms, daily routines, and collaborative care teams.

How VIS works

Teams assess a learner's communication profile, match appropriate visual supports, implement those tools in real therapy, classroom, play, and routine settings, then adjust supports as learners grow.

Who VIS supports

VIS is built for schools, clinics, educators, clinicians, care teams, neurodivergent learners, and families who need communication supports that go beyond spoken words alone.

Research foundation

VIS was developed by Dr. Howard C. Shane at Boston Children's Hospital and is grounded in decades of clinical research on visual language and communication.

Contact

Contact Little Finch to request a demo, discuss partnerships, or learn more about VIS.

Little Finch
VIS by Little Finch

Find your voice with visual language.

Improving communication, learning, and engagement for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

VIS helps schools, clinics, and families turn visual strengths into stronger communication, deeper learning, and more meaningful participation.

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Announcement

VIS is now part of Little Finch.

We're building the next chapter of VIS with a more connected experience for schools and clinics.

Partner with Little Finch
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What is VIS

A visual language framework for communication, learning, and engagement.

The Visual Immersion System™ / VIS™ is a research-informed, technology-supported framework developed at Boston Children's Hospital to support communication and learning for autistic individuals and others with developmental differences.

Built on more than 20 years of clinical work and research, VIS uses dynamic assessment to identify patterns of attention, engagement, receptive language, and expressive language. Those insights guide individualized visual supports for therapy, classrooms, daily routines, and participation.

Understand

Make directions, concepts, routines, and relationships more concrete and accessible.

Express

Support requesting, commenting, answering, asking questions, and sharing ideas.

Organize

Help learners understand sequences, transitions, schedules, routines, and what comes next.

A strengths-based approach

The framework helps teams understand how each individual learns, then adapt tools and environments to support participation.

How VIS works

Assessment guides the tools. The tools support the learner.

VIS begins by understanding how an individual attends, engages, understands, and expresses language. The VIS Developmental Framework helps teams identify where a learner falls on the visual language spectrum and choose supports that fit.

  1. Step 01

    Assess

    Identify attention, engagement, receptive language, expressive language, and current communication patterns.

  2. Step 02

    Match

    Choose visual supports and technology-supported tools that fit the learner's profile.

  3. Step 03

    Implement

    Use VIS tools across therapy sessions, classrooms, routines, and everyday activities.

  4. Step 04

    Grow

    Reassess and adjust supports as communication needs change.

Visual language spectrum

Gradient bar representing the visual language spectrum from concrete to abstract supports
Concrete visual supportsScene-based supportsSymbolic / abstract supports
VIS Modes

Three modes. One connected framework.

VIS organizes visual supports into three practical modes that help teams turn assessment into action.

VIM

Visual Instruction Mode

Visuals that support understanding of directions, concepts, routines, and spoken language.

VEM

Visual Expressive Mode

Visuals that support communication, including requests, comments, answers, questions, and participation.

VOM

Visual Organizational Mode

Visuals that support schedules, transitions, sequences, activity structure, and what comes next.

VIS Library & Tools

A growing library of visual supports for real-world care.

VIS includes practical visual supports and training materials selected around each learner's assessment, goals, and daily routines. Tools may include photographs, videos, static and dynamic scene cues, topic displays, visual schedules, transition supports, goal examples, and therapy materials.

The library is more than a collection of resources. It helps teams choose the right supports for real therapy sessions, classrooms, and everyday care.

Static scene cues

Dynamic scene cues

Visual scene displays

Topic displays

Animated graphics

Visual schedules

Countdown and transition supports

Goal and treatment planning

Training materials

AAC-adjacent supports

See how VIS can support your team
Who VIS is for

Built for the teams around the learner.

VIS is designed for the full team supporting communication and learning, including SLPs, OTs, teachers, associate teachers, clinical leaders, caregivers, and partner organizations.

Schools & BOCES

Bring a shared visual language framework into classrooms and school teams. VIS supports participation throughout the day, not only during speech sessions.

Bring VIS to your school

Autism Clinics & Therapy Providers

Use VIS across assessment, therapy planning, treatment sessions, parent collaboration, and interdisciplinary care.

Bring VIS to your clinic

Product & Tool Partners

Little Finch is building a connected ecosystem of tools that support communication, learning, and developmental care.

Partner with Little Finch
Why VIS matters

When language is clearer, participation can grow.

Reduce frustration

Make language, expectations, and routines easier to understand.

Support independence

Help learners make choices, follow routines, and participate more confidently.

Strengthen team coordination

Give educators, clinicians, and caregivers a shared framework.

Build flexible communication

Support communication across people, activities, and settings.

Evidence

Research-informed and clinically grounded.

VIS is grounded in clinical work and research on visual language, AAC, visual supports, scene cues, animated symbols, and technology-supported communication for individuals with autism and developmental differences.

VIS framework

VIS-specific publications describe a visual language framework across instruction, expression, and organization.

Visual supports & AAC

Visual supports and aided AAC strategies are widely used to support communication, comprehension, participation, and daily routines.

Technology-supported communication

Research on visual scene displays, animation, scene cues, and mobile technology supports the use of meaningful visual information in communication intervention.

View research references

The references below include VIS-specific publications and related work in visual supports, AAC, visual scene displays, animated symbols, and technology-delivered communication supports.

VIS-specific framework and implementation

  1. Shane, H. C., O'Brien, M., & Sorce, J. (2009). Use of a Visual Graphic Language System to Support Communication for Persons on the Autism Spectrum. Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 18(4), 130–136.
    View source
  2. Shane, H. C., Laubscher, E. H., Schlosser, R. W., Flynn, S., Sorce, J. F., & Abramson, J. (2012). Applying Technology to Visually Support Language and Communication in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1228–1235.
    View source
  3. Shane, H. C. (2015). Enhancing Communication for Individuals with Autism: A Guide to the Visual Immersion System. Brookes Publishing.
    View source
  4. Schlosser, R. W., Shane, H. C., Allen, A. A., Benz, A., Cullen, J., O'Neill, L., Chiesa, L., Miori-Dinneen, L., Koul, R., & Pasupathy, R. (2020). 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. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 4(4), 447–470.
    View source

Visual supports, AAC, and scene-based tools

  1. AFIRM / National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder. Visual Supports Evidence-Based Practice Brief Packet.
    View source
  2. Patenaude, D., McNaughton, D., & Liang, Z. (2024/2025). Using Visual Scene Displays With Young Children: An Evidence-Based Practice Synthesis. Journal of Special Education Technology.
    View source
  3. Chapin, S. E., McNaughton, D., Light, J., McCoy, A., Caron, J., & Lee, D. L. (2022). The Effects of AAC Video Visual Scene Display Technology on the Communicative Turns of Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Assistive Technology, 34(5), 577–587.
    View source
  4. Wilkinson, K. M., Light, J., & Drager, K. (2012). Considerations for the Composition of Visual Scene Displays: Potential Contributions of Information From Visual and Cognitive Sciences. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 28(3), 137–147.
    View source

Animated symbols and augmented input

  1. Schlosser, R. W., Brock, K. L., Koul, R., Shane, H. C., & Flynn, S. (2019). Does Animation Facilitate Understanding of Graphic Symbols Representing Verbs in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder? Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 62(4), 965–978.
    View source
  2. Allen, A. A., Schlosser, R. W., Brock, K. L., & Shane, H. C. (2017). The Effectiveness of Aided Augmented Input Techniques for Persons With Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 33(3), 149–159.
    View source

This reference list is not exhaustive and is provided for informational purposes. VIS is a clinical framework and should be implemented by trained professionals using individualized clinical judgment.

Get in touch

Bring VIS to your school, clinic, or care ecosystem.

Tell us about your setting and the learners you support. We will follow up to discuss VIS training, implementation, and partnership options.

hello@littlefinch.org

Or email us at hello@littlefinch.org