Striking features are the simplest and most obvious classifications of information provided by material objects. The classifications include: color, shape, size, number of items (up to four), and linear information.
Most of the concrete information that arouses the attention of human beings is visual. The ACL 4 cues can be seen by most people with a visual impairment who have lost their glasses. When they say they cannot see an error because they do not have their glasses, it is often a habitual excuse. But not always, which can drive you crazy.
Color
Striking colors are the easiest to define because they may be found in a box of 8 crayons for people functioning in ACL 4. Twisty crayons used by artists can remove the childish association. The colors are the primary and secondary colors plus black and white. Over the years we have experimented with taking the edge off the primary and secondary colors by selecting modifications that were made by adding a little black or white.
Shape
The shapes must be plain and simple, a solid color is the most apt to capture their attention. The classic geometric shapes are limited to squares, rectangles, circles, ovals and triangles. Hearts and flowers, dogs and cats, houses and trees are universal shapes but keeping them simple and adult looking is difficult. Toys and educational materials manufactured for children are rarely useful for adults with a cognitive disability because they are designed for smaller hands and more energetic brains. The cartoons and whimsy that engage the attention of children distract the person with a cognitive disability.
Size
Size has two qualities. Objects cannot be too big or too small because they cannot handle them. Avoid tiny objects and try to find things that are at least 1/2 inch (2 cm) in size. An object that is bigger and heavier than a dinner plate is apt to be too big. When using different sizes of the same shape, such as two hearts, the difference between the two sizes must be at least a 1/4 inch (1 cm) for them to see it.
Number of Items (up to 4)
Number of items (up to four) seems to be the limit of the human brain. When we get more than four we start grouping things together into classification systems.
Linear Information
The linear information that organized their actions in ACL 3 is divided into pieces within ACL 4. Patterns, such as stripes and checkerboards, use flat lines on a two-dimensional surface. Within ACL 4 linear information is used to help them match to a sample.