How might you apply the principles of the ETLP to better identify and support a student who shows uneven or “splintered” tactile skills? What would this look like in your current or future practice?
First off, I wasn’t aware of this ETLP checklist nor that the INSITE Developmental Checklist was updated in 2024. I’m in full agreement that everything begins with evaluation. I think having this evaluation and observation tool can create more awareness and understanding among team members about the importance of tactile learning and tactile skills. With a document that lists the actual skills necessary for tactual learning, it provides a concrete picture for team members to engage in better learning and collaboration. Moving forward, it will definitely be an evaluation checklist I’ll use with my students and share with IEP team members.
It seems that the students move into middle school and then high school, where the online platforms are used for classroom academics. Some teachers were using many different apps to supplement their assignments. But lately, veteran teachers have been allowed to go back to a hybrid model (paper/pencil and digital). As with any change, the students didn’t like it at first, but now they prefer the paper in their hands. This hasn’t stopped the teacher from giving assignments at the last minute to adapt, but the atmosphere in the classroom and the student interaction is better.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. I teach Braille to adults and always ask permission if I can “show their finger” to a new position on a page, the word on a line if they have gotten lost in their curriculum book etc. I’m thinking this would be hand-over-hand and not the reverse. As a blind instructor, I feel I need to touch or guide their finger because I cannot see where it is. However, if I check their finger position and then assist them in exploring more, rather than placing their finger, this may be a lot more effective. Relevant questions might be: Is your finger flat with a light touch? Can you feel all three dots of the U under your finger?
A bit tangential side note here:
I often find that those with reduced finger sensitivity or less experience with tactile discrimination benefit from larger representations of Braille letters, e.g. Braille leggo blocks or jumbo Braille as we down-size to standard Braille. It takes a bit of time to evaluate whether someone has any amount of difficulty with discrimination or whether it is tough to remember the letter itself.
What great ideas here. As a blind teacher of adults, I often use hand-over-hand without realizing it. Teaching new contractions by exploring and using tactile Braille art is an awesome idea. I love the little Braille heart I sometimes create. Since that makes extensive use of the GH and AR contractions, this would be a good way to introduce these signs, and strengthen use of the Perkins.
Replying to this question: Reflect on your own use of touch when supporting students. In what ways might your approach unintentionally promote passive or controlling touch? How could you shift toward more active, non-controlling interactions, and what impact might that have on student learning?
As I have responded to later posts: I unintentionally and automatically default to a hand-over-hand approach. I attribute this in part of being blind myself and so need to know where a student’s finger is, for instance, on the line or word in the moment. However, this is a thought-provoking question. I will ask more questions about what the student is feeling, what they were expecting to encounter, etc. I am also thinking of creating more exploratory worksheets that cause active exploration with a new letter or contraction. This way, my adult learners would be encouraged to develop their tracking and discrimination skills. For instance, How many lines are there on this page? How many of a certain contraction are there? Ultiately, not rescuing the student by placing their finger where it should be is something I will be more consciously thinking about and holding back on.
Reflect on how educational teams (teachers, families, specialists) collaborate to support tactile development. Where do breakdowns typically occur, and what could strengthen this collaboration?
I have a new student in my program this year who I have mentioned in previous posts, came to me with no interventions other than a program to reduce self-injurious behaviors which consisted of an icon on a binder which said ‘My Way.” Everytime I tried to introduce something new to the student he would slap the icon and begin to engage in hitting himself rather forcefully with his fist. I have a TVI assigned to the student. I went into the APH Catalogue and made a list of items I felt would benefit the student. All of the supplies were ordered/received. After several weeks I realized I was essentially on my own to develop and implement materials for the student. I spent hours making tactile books. Hours. I would attempt to introduce the materials to the student and the SIBs increased at a high rate. I took into consideration his reliance on the iPad for his entire school day and decided to buy some early childhood books I knew had videos. I built some tactile models-for example Three Little Ducks. I have rough texture for the grass, smooth, shiny blue paper for the pond, as well as a large plastic mother duck and 5 baby ducks. I placed this whole thing in a shoebox. I put the video on and the student moves the ducks from the grassy area to the water. He loves the activity.
That being said-it is challenging for me to develop all of these activities on my own. As everyone knows in this field- these things take time. I have 5 other students with intensive needs (some with significant behaviors) and I feel I have had little support from the expert-the TVI. I am unsure what the level of involvement should be in the TVI creating programs and or materials. I am not given to complaining, but should I be coming up with all of the programs and materials? I think people truly do not understand how to teach and develop materials for individuals with different learning styles. Support staff, through no fault of their own, do not have access to training. How do we bridge this gap? I am so grateful for this cohort. I have learned so much. I am very excited to start applying what I have learned in this course. My wish is that all of us supporting students with significant needs would have time built into their day for such professional development.
How might you apply the principles of the ETLP to better identify and support a student who shows uneven or “splintered” tactile skills? What would this look like in your current or future practice?
As a youth services librarian for a network library of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, my direct involvement with youth and services are different from a teacher, etc.
For me, learning about the principles of the ETLP and how tactile skills are “sequential, interdependent, and influenced by multiple developmental areas” helps inform me for future development of the braille literacy kits my library currently offers. My colleagues have created them with the best intentions and lots of self-started research, but I think, based on what I know now, they could use some adjusting. We have a variety of themes but I think it would be more helpful to offer a variety of levels and skills that patrons can choose from based on where their child is at. I think that providing the foundations chart would be helpful for adults to discern which ones would be the most useful, along with items that will make this learning fun. Our library provides both individual and institutional accounts, so teachers with smaller budgets may also borrow these kits to help facilitate their teaching process.
I feel like touch is such an awesome way to teach math. There are so many methods that can be converted to touch, including the ones you mentioned. I’m also thinking of those math cubes that are used for sums and multiplication that help all types of learners get a more concrete visual of the equations!
Props to you for dedicating so much time and energy to a child that seems to have previously been left behind. I am not a teacher, but I have gone headfirst into special projects to fit the needs of some of my library kids in the past. The worst feeling is the lack of support and the loneliness and burnout that you’re at risk for. I think people typically get their job expectations top down rather than horizontally. Asking peers to essentially pull their weight can lead to issues. I know this isn’t always an option, but in a perfect world you’d be able to show those above you what you’ve accomplished while also emphasizing that your peers should be doing these things as well. Unfortunately, if you show you were capable of doing it yourself once, you may be cursed to do it yourself forever. It helps to find the colleagues that share a similar passion to your own, and ask them if they would like to get involved in the work. Also, create a sense of goodwill and inspiration by allowing your peers to use your creations with their own students. But use discernment so it doesn’t turn into them taking advantage of you. You could even offer to show them your sources and inspiration behind your creations and emphasize they do something similar. In the end, if you’re the only one doing this, then everyone else doesn’t believe its in their job description. It’s incredibly frustrating when you have a passion and the knowledge on how to help your students grow while everyone else is just trying to get through the day. Don’t push yourself to burnout. Don’t mull on what others are doing to the point of resentment, I like to remind myself people are acting their wage. Reframe it to be a leadership issue, because good leaders would encourage and help facilitate their staff to go above and beyond like you have. Only work on projects you are passionate about and can emotionally handle. Get used to saying no. But also don’t give up! It feels so good to do good, to make a difference in a child’s life and give them the education they DESERVE. Please, however, remember you are one person and set some clear boundaries for you to follow in order to avoid burnout!!
Hi, Thank you so much for your reply. I am developing a PD with one of the OT that will discuss visual processing issues and what OT can do and when it is time to call me into the case.
I feel that the breakdown in collaboration and implementation of proven techniques comes from the number of students enrolled in a district who require the services of an OM and TVI. In the district I currently work in, only one student at the upper elementary level presents with VI and deafness. Because there has only been this student from preschool to 4th grade little was done to educate the staff and related services. This is incredibly unfortunate because of all of the lost time and the presumption the student could not really learn. I am not judging anyone-we all have full plates and little time, but I strongly feel the lack of education and application for this student has been most troubling. I have other students with complex needs on my caseload and at the end of this past school year I requested a full special ed department meeting to address these issues and provide trainings on the PD days to address the needs of all of my students. With knowledge comes purpose.
I struggle with my staff(who are amazing) in the area of learn-helplessness. While their hearts are in the right place I have to constantly remind them to let the student perform tasks on his own as much as possible. At the beginning of the school year every time we had an art project, staff would pick up the paintbrush, glue etc, whatever was needed for the task, and immediately hand-over-hand him to do the work. It has taken a long time to reduce staff interference. Last week week we had an art project using paintbrushes. I called the student over to the table. He sat down, picked up the paintbrush, dipped it in the paint and began to paint on his paper! We made so much of him!!! He was very proud- smiling and laughing. Those are the moments we live for in this profession.
Reflect on your own use of touch when supporting students. In what ways might your approach unintentionally promote passive or controlling touch? How could you shift toward more active, non-controlling interactions, and what impact might that have on student learning?
As a registered nurse, I have had to switch hats from doing things for others to being a coach. This hasn’t always been easy, but I’m always learning and getting better. One of my favorite videos to show parents is from the Idaho Deaf Blind Project. The link is here: https://youtu.be/DcERQWPnc2Y?si=bEM3aiPajRyurL5j
I try very hard to model this to caregivers when working with students. I educate parents that their child’s hands are tools that are used to explore and interact with objects in their environment. I’ve had parents close their eyes and grab their hands to touch something and we talk about how that feels. Then I employ the hand under hand technique to explore various tactile objects like a brush or a rock. Parents immediately understand the difference in sensations and control when both ways are demonstrated. The hands must be curious about the world! Once trust is established, that child is much more willing to explore and interact with their world.
I always introduce myself before touching a child and ask permission to do so. I wear the same Braille bracelet that I allow them to feel so they start identifying that tactile marker with who I am. This builds trust with the child as so many have medical procedures that are scary and painful. I want them to know that they can trust me and what we are going to be doing.
I love working with the occupational therapists in building sensory skills. It is a long process as many have tactile aversions to food, certain textures, etc. It is not something one can force upon a child. Making exploration with foods, objects, water, etc. fun is a must for this age group, and any age group as many will hang onto the tactile defensiveness well into childhood.
I love reading about your strategies in working in the classroom and with the entire team. I have always worked with 0-3 year olds, but this year am picking up some preschool kids in developmental preschool.
Even with the birth-to-three population, I often feel like each therapy is siloed in some way and the student is not getting continuity. We have teaming, but people are busy, and schedules are hectic. I love how you have a “script” for others to follow. This allows for sameness and continuity throughout the disciplines to lessen confusion for the student. Otherwise, it could be like learning 4 different foreign languages!
I was unaware of the ETLP until I took this course and am excited to implement it this coming school year.
I love how you did not give up on this student and thought outside the box until you were able to connect with him! Kudos to you!
I echo the other respondant and emphasize that people in this profession are helpers. We are prone to burnout, not saying no and not having strong boundaries.
I wonder if you could do a make and take night with parents/teachers/paraprofessionals in which supplies are provided and they do the crafting? This might enable parents to meet other parents,etc. and to see the value of what they are doing/making?
We have also had sororities reach out as part of their philanthropy and make squish bags we have used with students.
Other ideas to look for might be church/youth groups, Scouts, etc. I think there are a lot of willing volunteers in any community who would be happy to donate their time/service to these projects. I know retired nurses ( I am an RN) who knit hats for babies in the NICU and become “rockers” and rock babies in the NICU when their parents are unavailable. Just a few thoughts that might help!
I really enjoyed this article and the depth with which different aspects of touch were outlined and their effects explained. Over the past school year I have made an effort to not be placing my students hands on the specific detail I want them to attend to but allowing them to explore the graphic, page, or environment, and then giving direction to the detail or placing my finger on the detail and allowing them to find my hand. Doing this allows them to be more active than passive and it is neat to know that assists them in building memory of that information. I need to continue to do this in the upcoming year and years beyond.
It can be so tricky sometimes I like how the article called it a dance. I think for your second grade student setting some short term goals that he has some buy in would be a good idea. It can feel overwhelming to have to cover such as gap to catch him up to where his peers are that simply the thought of all the work may make him feel less inclined to want to engage in these activities. I have worked with some student on shape puzzles like katamino and completed sections of the puzzle and they need to figure out how to orient the remaining piece or pieces in order to finish the puzzle. It gets them to identify the shape of the hole and work to fit the piece into the spot.
Reflect on how educational teams (teachers, families, specialists) collaborate to support tactile development. Where do breakdowns typically occur, and what could strengthen this collaboration?
The major collaborative breakdowns always occur in communication. Specialists may not share what they are doing with parents or other team members; teachers may fail or refuse to follow through; parents may not indicate that something isn’t working or making sense and ask for more assistance or information. These few examples of communication breakdowns don’t even begin to address issues with interpersonal misunderstandings and grievances, cultural differences, individual priorities, gaps in professional skill levels and experience, competing interests, or personality conflicts. When adults don’t share information or get along or support each other, children are the most severely impacted. Because the early childhood specialist or TVI or O&M instructor or other vision professional is already in a mediating position, that person has the greatest opportunity and most important responsibility to be a good example and help maintain good communication between and with other team members, especially parents. Positive communication that shares progress and successes as well as good ideas for resolving challenges can change everything.
Do you think that some of the problem with “not knowing what you don’t know” also has to do with a lack of imagination on the part of professionals outside of the vision field? For example, I don’t think I have ever conducted an inservice where someone didn’t ask me how a person who is blind can find the bathroom. When I ask them to close their eyes and see if they can remember how to get to the bathroom, of course they always can but it never occurred to them before to try that. How do you teach this kind of imagination and curiosity to people so that they start to have some experiential empathy for their students?