Dori Senatori

Abstract

 

This paper is based on an observation of a 14 year old student named E who was born blind due to severe ROP and gradual hearing loss due to ototoxicity. E currently wears a cochlear implant for her Left ear and a behind the ear hearing aid for her right ear. E functions at around 24 months of age using coactive movement and touch to request or reject something.  E uses conventional gestures such as handing her teacher an object to reject or give a hug to show affection, she uses concrete symbols to make a choice and is beginning to use more abstract symbols in conjunction with some signing.

 

 

 

Deafblind Student Observation

 

E was observed working with her Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments in her classroom in a lesson addressing self-determination skills with use of her divided choice tray and two favorite object symbols to represent each activity that E has liked in the past.  The teacher indicated the importance of the lesson for E is to teach her to be able to communicate her needs effectively and make choices about activities during her free time that she would like to do.

 

The TVI labeled each symbol on the board (from left to right) with sign and speech as she used hand under hand to let E feel the signing, and then she directed E’s hand back to the middle of the board. E appeared to require a short break after receiving the information about the two choices available which were a bag of small toys (which meant that she could relax on the bean bag and play with them), or a cassette tape to listen to and/or dance if she wanted. E seemed happy with these two choices and became distracted as she smiled and reached out for her teacher to give her a hug and smell her for a few minutes. E’s teacher re-directed her back to her choice board and reviewed the choices with signing and facilitating touch of each object. E’s teacher reports that she does not like to be rushed in decision making and she will let you know this by becoming upset and biting her forearm (as her teacher pointed to E’s forearm which had a scar from where E would bite herself).

 

E then made her choice of the bag of small toys and she picked them up from the choice board and walked over to her bean bag chair. I observed E playing with her bendy/twisty/squeeze toys happily as she smiled, rocked back and forth and laughed the whole time while playing and it seemed apparent that E was content because she had her needs met and was able to communicate her choice effectively.

 

I asked E’s teacher about the hug that E gave her earlier, and the teacher said that she will reward her (the teacher) if she goes at the pace that E prefers and communicates in the form/style that she likes and this reward would usually be a hug to let her know that she was happy. When the time was almost up for the play activity the teacher went over to E and E held her hands out to feel what the teacher was going to sign, and the teacher signed and spoke “2 more minutes then finished”. E did not become upset and appeared to agree with what the teacher was telling her, and it seemed like that may be an indication that she had enough play time or that she liked the fact that she had a countdown of time left for the activity so it wasn’t abruptly over. Once the activity was complete the teacher signed “finished” in E’s hand and facilitated hand under hand to put the toys in the finished basket to end the activity.

 

The TVI reported E’s self-determination skills are improving and she is seeing less self biting possibly due to the fact that E is able to direct her choices and time spent on some of the  activities she likes, sometimes even pushing away what is offered and walking away/turning away to search for another option. One of E’s goals is be able to communicate the fact that she needs more time with an activity that she really enjoys and not becoming so upset that she bites herself, and that is emerging with her expanding vocabulary of signs and symbols.