DESCRIBE HOW BLINDNESS AND LOW-VISSION AFFECT LEARNING, MOTOR DEVELOPMENT

AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

When a visual impairment is present from birth (congenital) it will have a more significant impact on

development and learning that if the visual impairment is acquired later in life (adventitious). Loss of vision

can affect all areas of development. Social development is affected as children are not able to pick up on

non-verbal clues or if they are unable to make eye contact they may appear disinterested and can reduce

sustained social interactions. Loss of vision impacts motor development as a child may not be motivated to

move toward that which can't be seen or causes inhibition to move for fear of the unknown. Exploration of

the environment and materials is critical in cognitive development, therefore movement is important not only

for motor development but for the development of concepts.

Language acquisition can also be affected by the loss of vision as active interaction with people and the

environment is important in language development. Delays in the area of independence in activities of daily

living are impacted as incidental learning through observation is not possible for those with significant visual

impairments. This impact can be magnified when caregivers, in an effort to help or to rush through activities,

complete tasks for the child which creates learned helplessness in the child.

Berthold Lowenfeld

Berthold Lowenfeld, a psychologist, researcher, and advocate for the blind hypothesized that blindness

imposes 3 basic limitations on a person (often referred to as Lowenfeld Losses):

1. Loss of range and variety of experiences

2. Loss of the ability to get around

3. Loss of the control of the environment and the self in relation to it.

Because of these restrictions, the individual relates to and learns about the world through the remaining
senses, particularly hearing and touch. Lowenfeld stated that "A great many experiences which are taken

for granted with seeing children are either impossible or much more difficult for blind children." Lowenfeld

found that students with visual impairments required special experiences to help them make sense of what

they were learning. Teachers need to make sure these are minimized through training and skills through

active exploration with concrete materials. Read More about Berthold Lowenfeld at APH's Hall of Fame.

Maslow's Hierarchy

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology. It is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with

the largest and most fundamental levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualization at the top.

Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met before the individual will strongly

desire the secondary or higher level needs. Maslow's hierarchy can be used to solve problems presented by

the loss of vision.

1. Personal/Physical: 11 Senses, cognitive IQ, Muscular/skeletal reflex. The physical attributes of

what's going on; sensorimotor. These are requirements for human survival. If these requirements

are not met, the human body cannot continue to function.

2. Safety: Real. Sensorimotoric. Things that are physical (ex. not able to cross the street the same

way as sighted). Perceived. Can come from anyone. Must attack the emotional aspect. With their

physical needs relatively satisfied, the person's safety needs to take precedence and dominate

behavior.

3. Love/Trust: Have to trust someone. Someone needs to motivate me.

4. Esteem: Love and trust self. Trust own decisions.

5. Cognitive. Now able to pay attention. Transfer knowledge.

7. Self Actualized. They do it. An accepted standard.

Social bonds between children who are blind or visually impaired and their caregivers can be affected when

there is lack of eye contact, possible lack of smiling, and frequent passivity or constant tactual exploration in

less than ideal locations.

Providing students with fading assistance in social circumstances is key. Talking with the student about who

is involved, what they are doing and why can help the student understand the social context. Although it may

be difficult to provide, students need honest and sensitive feedback about their behavior and the impact it

may have on social interactions. You can then talk with the student about how they can make judgments

about how to change their behavior.

Students must learn to communicate effectively with different people. They must also learn to accept and

respond appropriately to suggestions and corrections (ex. show respect for their teachers and others in

leadership positions). The strategies identified here may help the student develop appropriate and positive

social skills. Help a student learn appropriate social skills by encouraging the student to:

 identify conventional gestures used in social contexts.

 use nonverbal behaviors to indicate interest in speakers and to communicate more effectively.

 respect the personal space of others.

 make contact according to cultural norms.

 turn face to the speaker and maintain social interaction. Explain that this behavior shows you are

interested in what the other person is saying.

 discuss facial expressions (ex. smiling, frowning, etc.) as feelings that occur throughout the day. Help

students understand that their facial expressions convey to others how they feel.
  use a tone of voice that is appropriate to the setting.

 recognize behaviors that can cause social isolation.

EXPLAIN WHY IT IS IMPORTANT FOR TEACHER TO KNOW ABOUT THE TYPES OF VISUAL

IMPAIRMENTS AFFECTING CHILDREN IN THE CLASSROOM

Teachers who are not familiar with visual impairment—including blindness, may believe that students with

vision loss placed in their classroom settings have no usable vision. Early childhood educators need to

recognize that a majority of students who are diagnosed with a visual impairment have some degree of usable

vision. According to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 253 million people

live with vision impairment: 36 million are blind while 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment

[21]. This means that while some students may have “no light perception,” meaning that they see only

darkness, many have vision that is useful for a variety of tasks, including reading print, identifying faces,

recognizing color, and traveling independently, without specialized training. When working with students

identified as having a visual impairment, remember that their ability to use vision for classroom activity will

vary. While some may have no usable vision, “blind” does not always mean a complete loss of sight.

Regardless of their diagnosis, students who have vision loss will also have variations that exist among the

causes of visual impairment, severity, and the manner in which it affects how the individual can see. Students

with visual impairments may see things differently from one another, even when they share the same eye

condition. Different types of vision loss may include a reduced acuity—or clarity—that cannot be corrected

with glasses, a field loss—or “blind spots” with a student’s field of view, muscle control problems (lazy eye),

or problems with perception—for example, a student may see educational materials, but cannot describe or

comprehend what is being seen

that learning environments need not be visually stimulating; this is especially true in early childhood settings

where pictures, color, sight words, and learning centers are used within everyday learning tasks. In settings

where the majority of students rely on visual cues, teachers must explore alternative ways to meet the

educational needs of their learners with visual impairments, including those with no vision and partial sight.

Knowing the degree of a child’s vision loss can assist in determining, selecting, and using specialized

accommodations needed within the educational setting.

In addition to recognizing the individualized degree of vision loss that is present when a child who is identified

with a visual impairment is assigned to an inclusive classroom, early childhood educators must also be

cognizant of the warning signs of visual impairment in children who are not specifically identified as having a

visual impairment prior to attending a formal learning environment. Because the early childhood setting is

one of the first formal learning experiences for young children, it is often within this setting that visual

impairments are first identified. Because so much of classroom learning occurs through a visual model, it is

important for early childhood educators to recognize when a visual impairment may be present. If visual

impairments are overlooked, delays in learning can occur for children who require accommodations.

Signs of eye trouble in children may include physical characteristics, behaviors, verbal communications, or

trauma to the face or eyes. Physical characteristics may include eyes that are red, inflamed, watery, or off-

center. Behaviors may include rubbing, shutting—or covering—one eye for tasks that require vision, tilting of

the head when viewing materials, leaning forward to see better, tripping over objects, excessive blinking, or

extreme sensitivity to light. Verbal cues may include statements such as, “I can’t see that,” “I see two of that,”

(double vision) or complaints of dizziness, headache or nausea [22]. Any of these symptoms, including

classroom emergencies where the eye may be affected, should be reported to school health services,

administration, and the child’s parents and/or guardians so that follow-up assessment can be determined.
 HOW ARE YOU GOING TO TEACH “COLOR” TO CHILDREN WHO ARE COLOR BLIND

 Think about the lighting in your classroom. Good lighting can make it easier for children to recognise colour.

Colour-blind children should be seated in good natural light, but avoid bright sunlight and artificial light as

these can distort a CVD child’s perception of colour  Take time to group and label things like coloured

pencils, paints, beads, bricks and colouring material according to colour. Think about how you colour-code

boxes of toys, art materials and books. Little ones will obviously find it difficult to read labels using words, but

you could find a creative alternative. For example, the red beads could be labelled with a photograph of a fire

engine; the green ones with leaves. Some products are available at www.colourblindawareness.org  Most

young children learn the colours of things, even if they do not know what they are, and can confidently tell

you that the grass is green, even if they cannot see it. Therefore, giving them clues can help them to make

the correct associations and learn to use and choose colours appropriately.  Avoid using colour-on-colour

books and other support materials. Black on white will be most appropriate for colour-blind children.  In

sports and games (including board games), ensure that children can see who is on his or her ‘team’, and that

they can see the ball or the ‘men’ on the board.  Checking computer settings, web pages and computer-

based teaching aids to ensure that the child can pick out the relevant information. Colour-blind children may

struggle with coloured ‘keys’ that provide instructions and information.  Use strong contrast on white or

chalkboards; red, green or pastel colours should not be used to highlight teaching points.  Encourage

children to help each other choose colours when drawing, painting or colouring, and to reinforce their use by

using the correct name. Many colour-blind children will eventually memorise their colours through repeated

experience of their use.  If you are teaching reading, use symbols rather than ‘colours’ for different levels of

books, or clearly explain to children which box is theirs

LEARNERS WITH EMOTIONAL, BEHAVIORAL, LANGUAGE AND

COMMUNICATION DISABILITIES

SNED 4

SUBMITTED BY:

GABUYA, GWYNNETH M.

SUBMITTED TO:

MS.SHEINE DAGOHOY
 The National Teachers College
629 J. Nepomuceno St., Quiapo,
Manila, Philippines

LEARNERS WITH SENSORY AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

SNED 3

SUBMITTED BY:

GABUYA, GWYNNETH M.

SUBMITTED TO:

MS.SHEINE DAGOHOY