But My Child is So Involved, But My Child is So Involved, Where do We Begin?!?!Where do We Begin?!?!

Presented by thePresented by theVirginia Project for Children and Youth Virginia Project for Children and Youth

with with Dual Sensory Impairments/Deaf-Dual Sensory Impairments/Deaf-

Blindness:Blindness:

Who does this workshop apply to?

Anyone who is not communicating to you or understanding you through an abstract form of

communication (ex: language).

Today’s Goal(to gain knowledge of)

1) Significance of DBness & DSI

2) Instructional Strategies &

Materials

Why the difference? Where are these individuals?

Census CountCensus Count20042004

The December 1 count from the National The December 1 count from the National Technical Assistance Consortium (NTAC) Technical Assistance Consortium (NTAC)

identified identified 8,9998,999 individuals between the ages individuals between the ages of 3 to 21 as having deafblindess. of 3 to 21 as having deafblindess.

However the federal census count (state DOE However the federal census count (state DOE counts) only showed counts) only showed 1,9771,977 students with students with

deafblindness. deafblindness.

Keep in that these “other” disabilities could be in any number of combinations of other disabilities combined with their deafblindness.

1999 Deafblind International; 1999 Deafblind International; 8585% of the total % of the total deafblind population additional impairments deafblind population additional impairments additional disabilities.additional disabilities.

2004 December 1 count from the NTAC2004 December 1 count from the NTAC6363% of these individuals had cognitive impairments% of these individuals had cognitive impairments5656% had physical disabilities% had physical disabilities3838% had complex health care needs% had complex health care needs99% had behavioral disorder. (% had behavioral disorder. (behavioral issues are behavioral issues are typically a misinterpretation of communicative typically a misinterpretation of communicative needs being acted out physicallyneeds being acted out physically))

Partner up with someone

One person put on the blindfold

Only rules:NO SIGNING

&NO TALKING

Have your partner:1) Stand up 2) Turn around3) Sit down

Please rememberNO SIGNING

&NO TALKING

Switch roles

NO SIGNING&

NO TALKING

Tell your partner that you have hurt your

finger and you are angry about it.

Please remember:NO SIGNING

&NO TALKING

Group Process

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

To stand up, turn around & sit down

Tell your partner that you have hurt your finger and you are angry about it.

Basics of Communication

Language =

Conversation =

Directive =

COMMUNICATION

Conversation or …

Levels of Communication DevelopmentLevels of Communication DevelopmentPre-intentional Behavior

* reaction, reflex, no attempt at continuation

Intentional Behavior* purposeful, self focused,

Unconventional Communication* not socially accepted, not universally understood, beginning of dual orientation

Conventional Communication* typical, common, socially accepted, dual orientation

Abstract*not related, cannot make clear connection

Language* syntax, rules, structure

TechniquesCue: Communication used by an adult to let a child know what is expected of him/her in a given situation.

Cues are a type of receptive communication (for the child).

Designing and using a consistent routine is the beginning of teaching cues. Given time in this type of the routine, the child will first begin to anticipate his/her part in the routine. Given more experience with the routine, the child may begin to anticipate the routine from some part of the routine.

Touch cues are ways an adult can touch a child to communicate a desired action. For example, an adult may gently pull a child's arm upward with a grasp at the wrist to cue the child to lift arm during a dressing routine.

Object cues are some concrete piece of a routine that is used to represent that routine. For example, a diaper may be an object cue for diaper changing.

When deciding what cues to use with a child, it is important to remember to select cues that the child can easily discriminate one from the other. Otherwise the cues may be confusing to the child.

TechniquesSymbols are representations of an event, action, object, person, or place that can be used to communicate about the event, action, object, person, or place. Symbols can be used for both receptive and expressive communication.

The more a symbol resembles what it represents, the more concrete that symbol is. The less a symbol resembles what it represents, the more abstract that symbol is.

An example of a concrete symbol would be a spoon, used during mealtimes, to represent mealtime. A less concrete (or more abstract) symbol would be a small line drawing of a person eating.

Ripple Affect

Tactile Vestibular Proprioception

Olfactory Visual Auditory Gustatory

Postural Security

Awareness of 2 sides of body

MotorPlanning

Body Scheme

ReflexMaturity

Ability to Screen Input

Eye-handCoordination

OcularMotor

ControlPostual

Adjustment

AuditoryLang.Skills

Visual-Spacial

Perception

AttentionCenter

Functions

AcademicLrng

DailyLiving

ActivitiesBehavior

SensorySystems

SensoryMotor

Perceptual Motor

CognitionIntellect

CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Introduction to a few More TechniquesWAIT TIME

Allows time for their brain to process: what’s happening, their reaction to it process their response and then get their bodies to do what they want

Develop self awareness and empowerment Helps prevent Learned Helplessness

Patterns/Mental MappingPatterns/Mental Mapping(types to avoid/potential “mis”mapping)

Learned Helplessness

~~~

Auditory

~~~

Auditory

How does How does Deaf-BlindnessDeaf-Blindness and/or and/or Dual Sensory ImpairmentDual Sensory Impairment impact impact

learning?learning? CHILD WILL HAVE DIFFICULTING COMMUNICATING.CHILD WILL HAVE DIFFICULTING COMMUNICATING. Child may not feel safe to explore the environment.Child may not feel safe to explore the environment. Child may have distorted perceptions based on Child may have distorted perceptions based on

incomplete information.incomplete information. Child may not learn incidentally.Child may not learn incidentally. Child may perceive the world as random and Child may perceive the world as random and

frightening.frightening. Children will have to learn to maximize strongest Children will have to learn to maximize strongest

modalities, including touch.modalities, including touch.

Stress hormones have wide-ranging effects on the body. They are released into the body when the brain receives the signal that perceived danger is near. (fight or flight – startle response)One of these stress hormones is cortisol. Cortisol gets glucose (energy) into our bodies and also helps rev up the sympathetic nervous system (heart rate), increase our vigilance and attention to threat, and decrease our attention for other things. Once you get this stress response going, you have to be able to turn it off. Here is where the hippocampus comes in. This is really important because chronic stress with too high cortisol levels decreases memory and the ability to control behavior and focus attention. It also slows the immune system.

Stress Hormones

27

Mini ModulesOn Deaf-blindness

“Pass to Act Lrng Materials”

Mini ModulesOn Deaf-blindness

“Literacy & Deaf-Blindness”

Mini ModulesOn Deaf-blindness

“Little Room Adaptations”

SENSE OF

SELF

http://www.dblink.org/lib/topics/modules.htm

Adaptations of Passive to Active learning Equipment

Scratch Board

Activity Board

Triangle Board

Baggie Book

Vest

Resonance Board

Pegboard Book

Examples

Crucial InterventionsCrucial Interventions Provide experiences that use the Provide experiences that use the child’s likeschild’s likes

and access their strongest sensory input and access their strongest sensory input channels.channels.

The whole team needs to interact and follow The whole team needs to interact and follow through on through on routinesroutines as as consistentlyconsistently as as possible to make life a little more predictable. possible to make life a little more predictable. (replacing incidental learning with physical (replacing incidental learning with physical memory)memory)

Provide adequate Provide adequate wait timewait time for the child to for the child to process information. They have to figure out process information. They have to figure out what it is, what it means to them, what to do and what it is, what it means to them, what to do and how to do it. Their perception of time and ours how to do it. Their perception of time and ours are very different.are very different.

If you suspect . . .If you suspect . . . Contact project staff and have a discussion Contact project staff and have a discussion

with the family.with the family.

Project staff will contact the service Project staff will contact the service providers and the family. providers and the family.

Based on needs identified, project will Based on needs identified, project will provide appropriate types of levels of provide appropriate types of levels of support.support.