Compensatory Skills: Essential Considerations for Learning - PowerPoint Presentation

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Compensatory Skills: Essential Considerations for LearningEllen Cadigan Mazel, M.Ed., CTVIConcord Area Special Education Collaborative (CASE)

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Cover slideSlide2

Brain’s JobGather informationInterpret informationRespond to information

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HomunculusMore neurons are dedicated to certain regions

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Near Senses: Touch, Taste and SmellDistance Senses: Vision and Hearing4sensesSlide5

Why Consider Compensatory Skills?To capitalize on strengthsTo support and build skills in weak areas5Slide6

Understand how that sense develops in children.Assess how the child uses these senses.Think about strategies to support learning with these senses.6Why consider, continuedSlide7

VisionVision rules the brain7Slide8

How Vision Develops Birth: Sees black, white and gray8-12 inchesAt 1 week: Sees red, orange, yellow and green20/400Turns to look at light

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How Vision Develops At 2-3 months:Eye contactSharper acuityEyes work togetherFollows objectShifts gaze9Slide10

How Vision Develops At 4-6 months:Watching own handsDepth perception develops20/25ReachingRecognizes things at a distance.10Slide11

How Vision Develops At 7-10 months:Reaches to smaller thingsInterested in picturesRecognizes partially hidden thingsCoordinated vision and movementBetter eye hand and eye footJudges distances better11Slide12

How Vision Develops At 12 months:Recognizes picturesAnticipates adult’s attentionNearly adult vision skills 12Slide13

Visual Impairment Limits:Object understandingRelationship between objectsObject permanenceCause and effectSpatial relationshipsConcept development13Slide14

Visual Impairment Communication (facial expressions, gestures, body language) Confused pronouns.Eye contact limits interactionsGross motor developmentFine motor developmentBondingPassive14Slide15

Assessing VisionOphthalmologist/ Low vision clinicCertified Teacher of Students with Visual ImpairmentsFunctional vision assessmentCortical visual assessmentLearning Media AssessmentInterpret eye reports15Slide16

Improving Visual ExperiencesFor children with visual impairments:Early diagnosis of visual problems Early correctionEarly intervention16Slide17

Improving Visual ExperiencesImproved lighting Reduced glareBest distance and placementHigher contrastLarger sizesReal objects in natural routinesTime for visual exploration

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Strategies: Vision: CorticalHighlighting colorMovementFamiliarBest distanceLow complexity (visual, auditory, positional)BacklightedControl lightIncreased time to look, recognize and reach18Slide19

Questions?19Slide20

How Hearing DevelopsNeural pathways for hearing develop early in utero. Babies have been listening for about 12 weeks when they are born.20Slide21

How Hearing DevelopsHearing improves over time with full skills at adolescence.Frequency sensitivity: high frequencies are better until the second year.Sound localization: horizontal sounds are understood better, not good locating vertical sounds until 6 months old. This improves until the child is 7 years old.21Slide22

How Hearing DevelopsHearing Skills:Threshold: Babies are hard of hearing until about 6 months and improve gradually until puberty.Temporal resolution; babies need more time between sounds for understanding.Discriminating sound from background: poor in infancy and young childhood.22Slide23

HearingA child who is sighted hears the world, turns and visually connects the sound with its sound source.A child who is visually impaired hears the sounds but often lacks the understanding of the sound’s direction or source.23Slide24

Hearing and MusicYoung children love music.The brain favors music. Music skills are in both hemispheres of the brain.

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Assessing HearingGet hearing tested.Assess reaction to language and speech.Do they alert to familiar voices or music?Assess reactions to environmental sounds.25Slide26

Assessing HearingWhat types of sound cause a reaction?Are there sound preferences?Is reaction better in quieter environments?Is the sound direction important?How long does the sound need to last before you see the reaction?26Slide27

Strategies: HearingBring the sound to them.Bring them to the sound.Allow them to create sounds and music.Use music and predictable books.27Slide28

Strategies: Hearing Speak to a child at eye level.Slow down your speech with more space between words and directions.Label sounds.Teach in a quieter environment.Address the child by name before the message.Identify yourself.28Slide29

Questions?29Slide30

HearingFire truck!30Slide31

How Smell DevelopsWell developed in utero and immediately useful at birth Hardwired to the amygdala: (brain for emotions and memory). Learning tied to the amygdala lasts much longer.31Slide32

Smell and memoryYou can store some 10,000 different smells in your "scent memory." Certain smells will invoke specific memories in people. Remember…32Slide33

Smell and memoryPrimary learning channel linked to memory between birth and age 15.33Slide34

Connections: Smell and TasteThese senses are highly connected.

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InteractionsSmell and taste:Tongue only detects sweetness, sour, bitter and saltiness. The nose can detect a large number of subtle variations. 35Slide36

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TasteWell developed at birth.Taste input causes salivation, tongue movements and swallowing.Important for emotional development; fats and sweets calm, improve attention and help babies sleep.37Slide38

How the Sense of Taste Develops The child has been tasting amniotic fluid.They prefer sweet tastes.Up to 20 exposures before accepting newer.

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Assessing the Sense of Smell/TasteDoes child have a favorite food?Does the child turn away from a filled spoon?Do you see the child sniff objects and foods?39Slide40

TRY THIS AT HOME:JELLY BELLY BEAN40Slide41

Strategies: Using Smell/TasteIdentify and name smells.Allow time for the child to smell.Embed smell into instruction.

Use real objects in real

experiences.

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Food AvoidanceChildren with visual impairments are often picky eaters.They dislike new foods.Textures are difficult.42Slide43

Questions?43Slide44

How Sense of Touch DevelopsPushing, pulling and touching in utero (full term babies).Not well developed at birth.Understanding and discrimination builds with experience.44Slide45

How Sense of Touch DevelopsPassive: being touched until 4 monthsReaching to the environment begins: active touch explorationAt eight months, can identify a familiar object without seeing it 45Slide46

TouchTouch is really four abilities with four different pathways:Skin sensation (I’m touching. I’m being touched.)TemperaturePain Proprioception (sense of movement and position)

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Assessing TouchMoves to painMoves the part of the body touchedMoves to the touch cueShows distinct materials they like and dislikeFully explores textures with mouthFully explores objects with hands47Slide48

Assessing TouchReaction to light pressure/deep pressureReactions to different temperaturesReaction to movementReaction to the sensitive touch areas: palm, on the fingers, or around the mouth48Slide49

Strategies: Using Touch Active LearningIncrease access to materials at all timesLittleroom, sensory vests, attribute trays49Slide50

Touch Allow mouthingHand under hand explorationIncreased exploration time.Touch cuesAllow full touch without hand splints50Slide51

Questions?51Slide52

Sensory ChannelsGive the child materials.What do they do?What self body play?52Slide53

Bringing it together Using senses is important but they must be used together, built into meaningful constructs for true understanding and meaning.53Slide54

Compensatory Skills: Essential ConsiderationsThe EndEllen Cadigan Mazel, M.Ed.,CTVI

Concord Area Special Education Collaborative (CASE

)

mazels@verizon.net

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