Sensory Development in Children with Vision Impairment

1. Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI): Core Training Resource 3 Area 2: Sensory Development

2. Project Partners There are 4 partner organisations involved in the CFVI project. The production of these training/continuing professional development materials was led by VIEW (The Professional Association for the Vision Impairment Education Workforce), in association with a consultation group of stakeholders working in the field of VI Education.

3. Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (2022, p.15)

4. Training Objectives (1) To provide an introduction to: • our senses. • Area 2 of the CFVI: Sensory Development. • why interventions to promote sensory development from specialists in the field of VI, working in collaboration with others, and within inclusive learning environments are important for learners with VI. • provide links to useful resources/websites.

5. Training Objectives (2) Customisable slide if needed (see notes for the previous slide which give examples of training objectives that you could consider, depending on the nature of your presentation).

6. About this area: our senses • taste (gustatory). • smell (olfactory). • touch (tactile and haptic skills). • hearing (auditory). • seeing (vision). • body position sense (proprioception/kinaesthetic). • movement sensations – sense of balance (vestibular).

7. Identifying potential barriers to access (1) Situation A child without a VI eating a packed lunch What does vision tell the child in this situation? • where their peers are sitting and if there is space for them to sit; a safe route to the seat. • type of seating available. • how the lunch box opens. • what the food is. • the order in which it should be eaten (recognising sweet/savoury food). • whether cutlery is needed? is cutlery available? Where? • how their food compares to that of their peers • where their peers are in relation to themselves. • the body language of those around them: social cues, e.g. turn-taking in conversation. • the progress of others in eating their lunches.

8. Identifying potential barriers to access (2) Situation Inclusive strategies to reduce barriers to learning ? ? ? A child without a VI eating a packed lunch

9. Identifying potential barriers to access (3) Child/young person brief profile Add here Situation ?

10. Why a focus on this area is important (1) This area of the framework recognises the importance of working with the child/young person, family and educators to maximise the use and development of the child/young person’s senses. Individual input and support will be informed by: • the nature and severity of the VI. • if the VI was from birth or later onset or if the condition is degenerative, and whether there are other physical or learning needs. • possible involvement of specialist qualified professionals (VI) working collaborating with other professionals (beyond educators) such as occupational therapists.

11. Why a focus on this area is important (2) • The basis of making sense of our physical and social environment relies on a co-ordinated sensory experience. • Vision is the primary co-ordinating sense. Children and young people with a VI will have reduced access to information through vision and an increased reliance on information received from other senses. • Reduced vision will require interventions to ensure an appropriate sensory programme is implemented; that children and young people can use their other senses as efficiently as possible to assist their understanding of the physical/social world and that if they have residual/functional vision this is used optimally. • Other senses do not automatically compensate for a reduction in vision.

12. Examples of targeted intervention approaches for Area 2 listed in CFVI to reduce barriers (1) • Olfactory development – sense of smell (e.g. smells to support sensory stories/identify food; identify danger such as smoke). • Using vision effectively. • Visual stimulation / visual development. • Auditory skills: listening skills, hearing and making sense of what is heard, being able to listen to audio at increasing speeds to support learning. • Managing sensory overload, reducing sensory stimulation, working with tactile selectiveness.

13. Examples of targeted intervention approaches for Area 2 listed in CFVI to reduce barriers (2) • Tactile/haptic perception and development. • Fine and gross motor skills. • Engaging with surroundings. • Vestibular development – sense of balance, head/eye-coordination, visual scanning. • Proprioceptive and kinaesthetic development - sense of movement (sense the position of our body when moving through space, as well as to describe the movement of individual body parts in relation to one another).

14. Why a focus on this area is important for (name of child/young person); what interventions are in place? • Details of pupil’s vision impairment. • How it influences their access to the curriculum/social interactions. • What interventions are in place to promote sensory development? What are the envisaged outcomes? • Who delivers/works on these outcomes?

15. Summing up • Vision impairment creates distinctive barriers to access, learning and participation for children and young people. • Targeted intervention approaches within inclusive learning environments (See CFVI, Area 1) are required to promote effective use of a child’s senses. • Collaborative working with the child/young person, family and educators is required to maximise the use and development of their senses, for example by practising skills in a range of different environments.

16. What resources are available • The Bookshare Hub hosting resources to support the delivery of the CFVI is available from the RNIB (External) • Of particular relevance to this area is the Sensory Development category of the CFVI Resource Hub • The CFVI provides a list of targeted intervention approaches (page 19) Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment | RNIB

17. References • Hewett, R., Douglas, G., McLinden, M., James, L., Brydon, G., Chattaway, T.,Cobb, R., Keil, S., Raisanen, S., Sutherland, C., Taylor, J., (2022) Curriculum Framework for Children and young People with Vision Impairment[CFVI]: Defining specialist skills development and best practice support to promote equity, inclusion and personal agency. RNIB