Art educators and their non-verbal students with autism interact and share ideas using a distinct language, the symbol-based language of semiotics. The visual arts have been integrated into school curriculum for individuals with disabilities but understanding how non-verbal students with autism express themselves is essential to fully supporting their creative endeavors. The non-verbal language community (Saussure, 2013) should encompass teaching and learning opportunities aimed at efficient dialogue for all communication partners (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2013). Through instructional strategies designed to support visual literacy a fully realized visual arts experience is possible. The purpose of this case study was to explore instructional strategies designed to promote the development of a visual literacy for non-verbal students with autism who use augmentative and alternative communication technology (AAC). This study examined the supplemental language resources that provide additional communication opportunities during art making processes. The participants of the study were three adolescent students with non-verbal autism who use AAC technology to communicate. The students attend a public high school special education program and were engaged in 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional art projects over the course of four months. The data was examined using thematic analysis and collected through art classroom observations, video recordings of real-time interactions during art making, interviews with art educators and paraeducators instructing non-verbal students with autism through art projects, data collection journals for AAC technology use, and artwork artifacts illustrating student self-expression. The findings of this study suggest the key concepts that contribute to visual literacy development for non-verbal students with autism in a visual arts classroom are: (1) responsive paraeducator interactions, (2) differentiation of instruction through multimodalities, (3) navigating art vocabulary on AAC, and (4) opportunities for creative expression through rich and varied art materials. Suggestions for practical instructional strategies to prepare future art educators for their students with autism emerged in this study. Further, ideas for art education researchers involving communication technology and its use during the art making process are provided. Additional instructional strategies are offered to promote collaboration between art educators and special educators and to promote creativity and self-expression for non-verbal students with autism. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]