Mediating haptic exploratory strategies in children who have visual impairment and intellectual disabilities.
Adults must guide each step of touch exploration for children with visual impairment and ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Baum (2012) read every paper on how kids with visual impairment and intellectual disability explore objects by touch. The author built a new teaching plan that shows adults how to guide these kids step-by-step.
The plan has three parts. First, the adult sets up safe objects. Next, the child touches while the adult talks and moves the child’s hands. Last, the child explores alone with the adult close by.
What they found
The review says kids with both visual and intellectual disabilities rarely learn touch skills on their own. They need an adult to show where, how, and when to feel each object.
Without this help, kids often repeat the same simple motions and miss shape, size, or temperature cues.
How this fits with other research
Murphy (1982) already showed that sensory stimuli can work as reinforcers for children with ID and autism. Baum (2012) extends this idea by explaining how adults can turn simple touch into planned lessons.
Baranek (2002) warns that most sensory interventions for autism lack solid proof. Baum (2012) answers part of that worry by giving a clear, stage-by-stage method that can be tested in future studies.
Farmer (2012) urges researchers to use mediator analyses. Baum (2012) gives a ready example: adult mediation is the key link between the object and the child’s learning.
Why it matters
If you work with children who have both visual and intellectual disabilities, build short adult-guided touch sessions into daily routines. Start with one interesting object, model hand movements, and slowly fade your help. Track what the child notices next to see if the framework works in your setting.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This article provides a synthesis of literature pertaining to the development of haptic exploratory strategies in children who have visual impairment and intellectual disabilities. The information received through such strategies assumes particular significance for these children, given the restricted information available through their visual modality, often in combination with additional sensory and/or physical impairments. The literature reviewed from early child development highlights the importance of independent activity in the development of exploratory strategies, as well as the pivotal role of vision in 'mediating' information received through the haptic modality. In translating these findings to children who have visual impairment and intellectual disabilities, the role of the child's learning partner assumes greater significance in ensuring that haptic information is appropriately 'mediated' to meet the child's individual needs. The implications for developing appropriate developmentally paced intervention approaches are considered. A framework is outlined that seeks to account for the role of the child's adult partner in mediating haptic learning experiences to ensure they are appropriately structured and progressive.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2012 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01430.x