TEACHING ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY FOR THE EARLY CHILDHOOD YEARS

Presented by:

Darlene Bauer

Catherine Tellier

Kathy Young

WHAT IS EARLY CHILDHOOD?

Early childhood is defined as the period from birth to eight years old. A time of remarkable brain growth, these years lay the foundation for subsequent learning and development.

Learning during this period is at its greatest, more than any other period in your life.

https://Blind babies, Growing my way

• THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES THAT INFLUENCE APPROACHES TO TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN

Cognitive Developmental Theory (Piaget)

• Learning is an active process. Children are active participants

Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner)

• Children learn and behave as a result of the interactions and influences within different environments

• Interconnected relationships

Learning Theory of Doing (Dewey)

• Social process that occurs through daily interactions with the environment and through natural experiences

• Need opportunities for experience and experimentation

• Children learn by doing and acting upon the world around them.

• THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES THAT INFLUENCE APPROACHES TO TEACHING YOUNG CHILDREN

Psychosocial Theory (Erikson)

• The environment assists the child in obtaining characteristics needed to adapt to and be a successful member of his/her society.

Social Learning Theory (Bandura)

• Children gain knowledge from how the environment reinforces, supports or punishes, a particular behaviour.

• Response – consequence

Sociocultural/Sociohistorical Theory (Vygotsky)

• Making sure you are teaching within the zone of proximal development

INCREASING PROBABILITY FOR LEARNING TO OCCUR• Become familiar with both the typical

developmental sequence and the possible impact of visual impairment on the sequence.

• Provide a nurturing responsive environment.

• Include strategies that facilitate learning in multiple domains at one time.

• Provide intervention that is carefully sequenced based on the typical developmental progression but is adapted for the individual child’s needs.

SENSORY MOTOR PHASE• Children experience the world through their senses.

• Through play and self-propelled exploration the child is creating knowledge.

• Through creative adaptations, the child with visual impairments should be motivated and assisted to explore their total environment.

• Impact of limited or absent vision:

• Whole to part vs part to whole.

• Vision as the main integrating sense.

WORKING WITH FAMILIESWhy work with the family?

• The tie between the child and the family is particularly strong in early childhood. This relationship is the most important in the child’s life.

• Professionals are only working with the family for a short time, but they can collaborate with the families to ensure that the children have meaningful opportunities to practice their skills and develop concepts throughout the day with their family.

• Family centered support

• The emphasis is on the child’s and family’s strengths rather than the deficits.

• Promotion of family choices in accessing resources.

• Mutually respectful collaboration between professionals and parents.

• Holistic view of the family and the child’s relationship to the family

WORKING WITH FAMILIESWhen working with families of children 5 and younger, O&M instructors and other professionals will provide 3 types of support:

• Emotional:

• Help realize and strengthen the social supports that are available.

• When family members are ready help build their networks, which can include other families.

• Informational:

• Concrete action-oriented information

• Material:

• Ensuring that families have the resources necessary to meet their child’s educational needs.

Support should be provided in a way to empower the family, so they are able to advocate for appropriate service and supports.

https://blind baby with cane

WORKING WITH THE TEAM• Should be supportive of all team members.

• Should facilitate fellow team members in developing problem solving skills and abilities in relation to O&M situations.

• Should provide information and support to the team to increase their skills and knowledge.

• In a prescriptive role, make suggestions clear, follow up on progress, suggest changes, and link suggested strategies to the child’s overall educational plan

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES Assessment

• Assessment is critical due to necessity with identifying where the child is in the developmental process to meet instructional needs

• Assessment tends to be less structured, through observation in natural contexts and through play

Flexible, Proactive Lesson Planning

• Important to plan and have specific goals yet also be flexible to follow child’s lead and need to explore

Scheduling of Session

• Individual, based on students IEP

• The more consistent, the more likely the child will internalize the skills being practised

• Service delivery is dependent upon provincial service models

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES (CONT’D)Support Learning through Playful Activities

• Play is the typical learning medium in early childhood and increases likelihood learning will occur

Following the Child’s Lead

• Importance of having a plan but capitalizing on teachable moments

• Allow child to direct their own learning as much as possible

Provide Opportunities for Choice

• Can be built into most lessons and gives the child some control and independence

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES (CONT’D)

Routines to Increase Participation and Understanding

• Routines help child to understand parts to whole and encourage appropriate behaviour

Inclusion of Teaching Components

• Introducing the child to concepts

Use of Adult and Behaviour Strategies to Assist Motivation

• Examples: prompting, reinforcement, fading, and chaining

Use Motivating Materials

• Limited only by creativity and budget available

• Use of favourite toys

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES (CONT’D)Materials That Enhance Learning Activities

• All activities can be made more motivating and enjoyable with the use of interesting and playful materials

Devices That Enhance Sensory Awareness and Movement

• Use a range of devices that might benefit exploration and movement

• Potential devices might include:

• Low vision devices, long handled wooden spoons, shopping carts, AMD, long canes etc.

Use Consistent, Specific Terminology

• Critical to use very consistent labels to actions and items

CURRICULUM CONTENT

Sensory Awareness

Body Image

Motor Development, Gait, and Posture

Concept Development

Visual Functioning

Formalized Mobility Techniques

Instruction in Device Use

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT DEVELOPMENTAL LEVELS

It is important to plan interventions based on the child’s development rather than their age.

3 SUB-GROUPS FOR SUGGESTED INTERVENTIONS• Non-ambulatory: Not yet walking, for

whom sensory stimulation and awareness are the important goal.

• Children who are crawling and beginning to walk (goals center around exploring the environment.)

• Children who are walking, practicing “O&M readiness” and transitioning to beginning refinement of skills.

SUB-GROUP ACTIVITIES

To provide a basic picture of specific strategies for each sub-group, a sampling of activities were provided for:- Sensory development- Motor development- Body image- Device use- Concept development and orientation

Sensory Development

Non-ambulatory

Crawling and beginning to

walk

Walking

-meaningful play with toys and objects that have various textures

-help child to learn about the variety of sensory qualities of objects (hard, bumpy loud, etc)-help child to learn to choose objects of the same quality from a variety. “Can you find the bumpy ones?”

-encourage child to use the labels themselves: “This one is bumpy.” and demonstrate their understanding in other ways. “Move until you find the bumpy surface, then jump up and down when you get there.”

https://Baby Joey in therapy

Motor Development

Non-ambulatory

Crawling and beginning to

walk

Walking

-encourage the child to rotate his trunk and hips separately when rolling over-facilitate reaching for a sound by using a partial physical prompt at the child’s elbow

-encourage natural movements (twisting, kneeling). Help child become aware of a variety of ways to move (commando crawling, scooting on bottom).

-introduce child to as wide a variety of movements as possible: “animal walks”, ways to move from place to place, ways to move other items (throwing, pushing), ways to express yourself through movement

Body image

Non-ambulatory

Crawling and beginning to

walk

Walking

-name body parts and provide a consistent tactual prompt (ie, tapping 3 times) when doing daily activities (ie, bath, dressing). Play games and sing songs about body parts.

-play games where the child touches a named body part (Simon Says) or in answer to a function question (What do we kick with?)

-systematically teach the child about complex body parts such as upper arm, thigh, wrist, etc.

Device Use

Non-ambulatory

Crawling and beginning to

walk

Walking

-help the child to try to locate items outside her reach, then give her a long handled spoon and show her how she can find the item using the spoon

-give the child many opportunities to become familiar with the long cane while stationary. Teach names of the parts of the can. Begin substituting the cane for the long handled spoon to extend reach

-Teach beginning long-cane skills (ie, how to grip cane, keeping the tip on the ground, keep cane in front of the body, etc)

Concept Development and Orientation

Non-ambulatory

Crawling and beginning to

walk

Walking

-help the child understand the “whole” concept of items that make sounds and allowing him to feel, smell, and hear the item while being told what the item is. Help him understand all of the characteristics that make up the item

-give the child basic experiences to begin to understand the concepts of same and different. After the child understands the sensory qualities of items, provide a number of items and show the child how you can sort items based on similarities.

-provide multiple opportunities for child to practice skills requiring discrimination of similarities and differences, especially as this relates to concepts that facilitate travel. Give tasks that require sorting objects by characteristics

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHILDREN WITH MULTIPLE IMPAIRMENTS

• Keep the whole child in mind rather than focusing solely on the implications of the visual impairment. One disability can’t be singled out for intervention without taking all aspects of the child into account.

• Need to understand the implications of all of the child’s disabilities and their possible interactions.

• O&M instructors should pursue additional learning opportunities that focus on the needs of children with multiple impairments

• Teams must coordinate efforts to help family and maximize the potential benefits of intervention

• Need to be sensitive to the needs of families and provide the appropriate level of support while respecting the family’s priorities.

https://Gavin

ONLINE RESOURCESAssessment

http://www.perkinselearning.org/scout/assessment-young-children-visual-impairments#Assessment Tools

 

Early Interventions Services or Preschool services

http://www.apsea.ca/MainPage/services.php

http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/blindnesslowvision/brochure.aspx

Early Childhood Resources

http://www.perkinselearning.org/topics/early-childhood

 

Orientation and Mobility in Early Childhood

http://www.wsdsonline.org/video-library/blind-visually-impaired-videos/concepts-orientation-mobility/

http://www.perkinselearning.org/scout/orientation-mobility-young-children-visual-impairments