You bring up a good point about certain team members knowing the student better causing communication and collaboration difficulties. I am finding that the para that works with the student most is often left out of the conversations, are you seeing this also?
With one of my students, due to a communication breakdown, administration suggested a living document that will include the para or braillist - a place to look at what was discussed , ask questions, relay information (upcoming medical appointment or literacy needs)… thoughts on this?
The current prek-12 school system cannot fully support tactile learning and concept develpment as it typically doesn’t begin until the child is 3 and is usually limited by the hours, schedule and calendar of a typical school day. Tactile learning needs to start in infancy and continue as long as the student needs to gain the foundational concepts. This focus on foundations can be supported with an early intervention program if parents are informed of the program and can be successful when a program collaborates and instructs the parents in the importance of and strategies of tactile learning. The family will be the child’s first teacher and will spend more time with the child than anyone and will need the tools and support to be empowered to teach their child what sighted children would typically learn incidentally.
I agree that collaboration with the team is critical. Having an understanding of the subject, standards and scope and sequence of the subject is the expertise the classroom teacher brings and knowledge of modifications: strategies for supporting the student’s access and understanding is what the TVI brings. We may have worked with the student before and have a better idea of areas they may need additional support. Having everyone using similar language and on the same page of ways to support the student can result in the student becoming more confident and less reliant on only one person to “teach everything “.
I love this! Giving the student time to explore on their own but staying on track with the lesson can be a difficult balance. I had a student who was reluctant to explore without first being directed to do so. Once given the freedom to do so she had so many questions that I often struggled to finish the original lesson. I feel as though she may not have had opportunity or permission to freely explore in the past.
To what extent are current educational systems equipped to support the long-term development of tactile skills? What changes would you advocate for at the classroom or systems level? In my experience, children at the earliest levels of the educational system (infant/toddler through preschool and sometimes kindergarten level) are offered much more frequent opportunities for the development of tactile skills. These classrooms and learning centers generally have a wide variety of manipulatives, tactile play materials of various textures, shapes, and sizes, and time for outdoor play, as it is understood that all young children benefit from experiential learning. However, as Adkins, Sewell & Cleveland point out in The Development of Tactile Skills, sighted children have an “almost constant barrage of incidental information” prior to entering school, while “by the time students with visual impairments enter school, they have not received enough instruction in the development and use of their tactile skills or had enough opportunities to touch and explore their world”. This places young visually impaired children at a disadvantage even before schooling is formally begun.
As children progress through school, the opportunities for tactile learning decrease. Sighted children are exposed to pictures, images, videos and other educational media, while blind/visually impaired children are often expected to take in information auditorily or through braille/print materials, frequently losing out on key conceptual ideas. The increased use of screens in classrooms can also contribute to this, as all children are given fewer and fewer hands-on learning opportunities. (If I had a dollar for every circle time or morning meeting that is now exclusively YouTube videos, I’d certainly be able to vacation somewhere cool during this heat wave!)
I am a huge proponent of hands-on, multi-sensory learning for all students, and I can and do advocate for increasing opportunities for these types of activities at all age and grade levels. When possible, I try to consult with educational teams prior to or early in the school year, reviewing curriculum content and trying to find areas where these tactile skills can be embedded within the lessons, even at higher grade levels. Are they learning about ancient civilizations? If so, are there models of ancient structures that can be brought in? (Even commercially-available items like Lego sets could support the learning of different architectural styles, scale, etc.) Are there ways to carry over instruction into recreational activities? (Learning about grids in math? Can students create a tactile grid on the playground using sticks or other materials? Play an adapted Battleship game?)
I know we have all seen the gaps that exist when blind/visually impaired students don’t have access to the types of exposure that helps build full, comprehensive concepts of the world. Encouraging students and their families and educators to get out into the world, get their hands on it, and share those experiences, is one of my personal soapboxes!
Tara, I think it is so easy for us as TVI’s to provide that hand-over or hand-under-hand assistance without always pausing to see if it’s truly needed. I am as guilty of that as anyone! I have to stop and remind myself that it’s important to discover how much time a student truly needs to fully understand what we are asking them to do with their hands, even if that means we do “less” of a lesson overall. (Those time limitations are so challenging, as it seems there is always more we want to teach!). I like your phrasing of thinking of it as “active touch”, and giving students time to problem solve before we jump in to make it easier for them. Some of those key learning moments happen when a student has just a couple extra seconds to figure something out themselves. I know for me personally, I also have to be really aware of how much verbal “cues” I provide, as I have a tendency to kind of guide students that way, even when I’m not physically touching their hands, but it can lead to the same kind of stepping-in that you’re describing here. Always good reminders for us, as we prepare to do a big better each school year!
Heather, I am also looking forward to using this tool to be more structured in my assessment of tactile skills and in considering how to . Many of the students on my caseload are children with complex needs for whom academic braille is not appropriate - but who could absolutely be benefiting from additional tactile learning opportunities when we better understand how to introduce those skills. I really like that the tool breaks down “touch” into a number of components, allowing us to really determine what specific skills a student has, so that we can build upon those and fill in gap or “splinter” areas where possible. And like you, I love the resources! I have many of these books/documents in my office bookshelf, and it’s a good reminder to pull them out and do some review as I plan for the coming school year.
3). In the school, I tended to control how the students used their tactile skills. I didn’t let them explore and express what they were feeling. In my new role with the infants/toddlers, I feel that I really try to promote tactile behaviors. Using them to explore their environment and to help provide motivation with their curiosity. I see that many parents aren’t for messy play. But then we have some parents who are all about that and continue to give their child textures and the time to explore them. Really, our little ones learn by exploring with their senses. We can help by giving words to what they are sensing.
Love this! Way to take what you learned Lana and apply it to your situation now. Your middle school is very observant and able to learn what is going on around him. Loved the idea of looking towards the future and realizing that he is going to have to deal with the chaos in any job setting.
1, 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 think in the preschool years, and early elementary schools years (kindergarten to grade 2), it is often easier to collaborate with school teams to support tactile development. The nature of preschool and early elementary is often more play based, where students have more tactile opportunities throughout their day. Often these classrooms have stations and they change frequently. As students get older, often learning becomes more sedentary, with less play based and tactile opportunities being presented. I think all students benefit from having tactile opportunities throughout their day, what benefits the blind or low vision student will often benefit other students as well. While other students benefit from it as well, tactile development is pivotal for blind or low vision students who understand the world around them. Long before sighted children can read, we give them books. These children start to look at the pictures and are motivated to explore the books. Blind or low vision students need these opportunities but that might look different, like using whole objects, or parts of objects all the way to tactile graphics. I think once school teams understand the importance, they are more receptive to putting it into practice.
I agree with what you are saying and face the same challenges. Where I live, we have total inclusion, which in theory is great, but in reality, the classrooms have a challenging composition of needs for one teacher to manage. While I work with the classroom teacher to show what I am doing and how to support the student, often wait time and follow through doesn’t happen as frequently when I am not there. I also find the vision simulators or blind foldtraining is helpful. We also have some mentor positions on staff, who are adults with low vision or blindness and I find it super helpful for them to present their lived experience to school teams.
I also spend a lot of time collaborating with teachers. I also joke (but am kind of serious) that 80% of my job is relationship building. I think that relationships are important to get your point across and to trust you. Often the educators I work with have never worked with a student who is blind or low vision before and they are nervous. Sometimes people are nervous to have other adults in the classroom. I try to reassure them that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and they will learn all they need to know over time.
Students benefit when teachers, families, and specialists collaborate to support tactile development. The educational team should communicate and implement tactile development opportunities that overlap and provide the student with opportunities to develop these skills across various settings. It takes time to develop tactile skills. Breakdowns typically occur when communication is lacking. To strengthen the collaboration, the TVI can share with the others about the importance for children who are blind or low vision to develop tactile skills and ways they can provide activities and encouragement for the student to develop these skills. Learn from the family and other teachers about how the child tactually explores items in different environments. I work closely with the occupational therapists at the schools where I work. They have great information and ways to help the students with motor skills, including mechanical skills and hand development, that they can share with the team so we can follow through with helping the child have the opportunities to develop these skills.
You have great points about the need of breaking down skills and that some students progress outside of our anticipated timeline. It takes time and plenty of opportunities to develop these skills. I work with students ages 3 years old through 21 years old. Something I love about my job is that I work with these students throughout those ages. I see the progress they make. Sometimes the progress is slow and can be mistaken for lack of progress by those who have only known the student for a short period of time. However, I have the benefit of working with the students when they were younger and can let the students’ current teachers know the skills and abilities the students had previously and celebrate their current successes.
It is true that teamwork with teachers, therapists, and families is important for helping students develop skills, including tactile skills. These skills cannot be developed only when the student is with the TVI. Communication is key to make sure the other members of the student’s team know the importance that they provide opportunities for the child to develop these skills. I understand what you said about instruction often addresses the immediate academic need instead of having time to work on the development of tactile skills and concept development. This can lead to splinter skills that lack a good foundation.
Brenda - You bring up a very valid point about as the student progresses through school there are less opportunities to engage in hands on activities. There is such a push to get through the curriculum for the day and that is sad because it doesn’t allow for extensive discussions or hands on activities. More is not always better!
I knew about the ETLP and have used it in the past, but it got pushed to the back burner due to a larger caseload and time constraints. After going through the lessons, I realize I am part of the reason that the gap is there for the student. This also makes me really want to delve back into the assistive technology assessments I have done and make sure that I am not leaving gaps there.
Question #1. Reflect on how educational teams (teachers, families, specialists) collaborate to support tactile development. Where do breakdowns typically occur, and what could strengthen this collaboration?
In an ideal situation “the team” would meet in person or via an online meeting to discuss (demonstrate when possible) the student’s current needs and how to best support the his/her tactile development. However, that’s often not possible due to scheduling difficulties. Next, best would be via email contact letting the teachers, specialists, and family know of the current tactile development needs of the child and a range of activities to enable tactile development. Breakdowns may occur due to the parent, teachers, and therapists having too many other priorities in terms of the student’s complex educational needs. Checking in person, phone, and or email may help to remind/reinforce their support of the student’s tactile development. From my experience a highly motivated teacher assistant that is instructed in how to best enable a student who is blind or visually impaired tactile development skills is worth their weight in gold. My student’s who had a 1:1 teacher benefited immensely from daily repeated practice with tactile development skills embedded within instruction.