Photo courtesy of www.perkins.

org

Kristen Layton-Campagna, MA

New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative

Learner objectives:
SP.05.h: Facilitate s childs/youths participation in the

entire activity to the fullest extent possible.

SP.05.i: Understands the impact of the childs/youths
developmental level on designing and implementing
intervention and instruction
SP.05.j: Develops systematic instructional activities and
materials that are meaningful, relevant, and age
appropriate
SP.05.za: Uses routine or activity based instruction to
enhance learning
SP.05.zh: Task analyzes specific activities
SP.05.zj: Uses graduated prompting procedures (e.g., verbal
prompts to full physical assists accompanied with positive
reinforcement)

The purpose of this module is to introduce various

instructional strategies that are typically
associated with teaching learners who are deafblind.
This is not a complete list of strategies that are effective

for use with this population of students.

The content should be considered an overview of the
topic and the basis for further learning.

It is most valuable to understand the theory

behind the strategy. It is then possible to develop
your own interpretation of the strategy and make
modifications to fit the needs of individual
learners. In order to do this, the learner must
access additional resources on each strategy.

New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative

SECTION A
Establishing a Foundation

Children who are deaf-blind have unique

educational needs. The process of setting up
a quality program for a child who is deaf-blind
takes time, energy and knowledge of
resources.

A strong educational team, including the

family, is the key to a positive educational
experience for the child.

The following are elements that are

considered critical to the success of a childs
educational program:

Transdisciplin
ary team
approach
Ongoing
evaluation and
modifications of
program

Family
Involvement
Instructional
Strategies

Systematic
Instruction and
natural teaching
approaches (in
LRE)

Access to the
general
education
curriculum

Authentic
Assessment

Established
Learning
Goals (IEP,
IFSP)

A positive learning
environment sets the stage
for effective teaching and
successful learning.

In addition to learning
goals and effective
instructional strategies,
the educational team
must be aware of and
address additional
factors that can
influence educational

ELEMENTS THAT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED WHEN

DEVELOPING A PROGRAM FOR A CHILD WHO IS DEAF-BLIND:

Structure

and
Consistency
Environmental
factors
Use of residual
vision and hearing
Health and well
being of the
student.

Access

to
communication
Physical positioning
Alertness states
Teacher/Student
relationship
Motivation level of
student
Accessibility of
learning material

Motivation: In this
image a teacher
works with a student
on walking. The
student is motivated
to work on the goal
because she likes to
push her friends
wheel chair.

CONTENT
What to teach?

The

IEP/IFSP serves as the

road map

Individualized Education Program/Individualized Family Service

Plan

 Curriculum
Align with state learning standards and frameworks.
Designed to address the childs unique needs in the

least-restrictive environment.

May include a blend of the following curriculum

areas:
Early Childhood
Academic
Functional Academics
Functional Skills
Independent Living Skills
Pre-vocational Skills

CONTEXT
Where to teach?

In what situation/activity will the student

be learning the skill/concept?
Activities

should be:
Motivating for the student (use of a
Student Preference Assessment)
Allow for several opportunities to
practice the skill during the day/week.
Functional and age appropriate
Able to be generalized or transferred
to other environments.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.com/
26441432
This video
demonstrates an
activity that is
motivating for the
student as well as
functional. In addition to
dropping off the
attendance, the student
is also greeting office
personnel; a skill that
can be generalized to
other settings.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.co
m/26425568
This video
demonstrates an
activity that is a
functional part of the
students daily
routine. The student
participates in this
activity multiple times
a day which promotes
ample opportunities
for practice and
generalization.

HOW to teach?

Identify the instructional environment

Individual
Small
Large group
Identify components of the nature of the activity
Sensory needs of the child
Opportunities for socialization
Partial participation
Difficulty of the activity and the need for
concentration

Present New Materials/Environments

Use of available senses
Time for exploration of new
materials/environments
Student preferences
Use an Integrated Therapy Model
Related services are provided in natural settings,
across disciplines.
Skills are addressed within activities that serve
functions in a student's real life.
The IEP is collaboratively written and priority skills
are determined for student participation,
functional independence, and overall benefit from
the educational program.

Environment: Large Group

(Circle Time)
Components of the nature
of the activity: Due to visual
impairment, all objects
presented when giving a
choice must be accessible
with tactile exploration
Present new
materials/environments:
Student needs adequate
time to explore two choices
Integrated Therapy Model:
Skill of choice making is
provided in the natural
setting of circle time with
service providers working in
the classroom (push-in
model)

TEACHING SKILLS

Teaching Skills and Concepts

It is important to make sure we are

teaching both skills and concepts.

Teaching skills without concepts is the
how without why and does not foster
generalization of skills.
Teaching concepts without skills is the
why without the how leaving the child
able to understand but not complete a
task.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.
com/26426789
In this video clip,
the student is
learning the
concepts of plant,
wet, and dry
with repeated
signing and tactile
exploration to
attach language
and meaning to the
concepts.

TEACHING
CONCEPTS

 Due to the nature of deaf-blindness,

many basic skills and concepts need to

be taught because opportunities for
incidental learning are limited.
Example: The concept of milk
being kept in the refrigerator would
not be casually observed by a
small child who is deaf-blind. The
skill of opening the refrigerator and
placing the milk inside is a skill
that can be taught to reinforce the
concept of keeping perishable
items cold.

Most children will learn

best being exposed to
a variety of strategies
throughout their day.

SECTION B
Instructional Planning Tools

Ecological Inventories
What is it?

An ecological inventory is an assessment of the skills

that a student needs to function in a specific
environment.

Why is it important?

Completing an ecological inventory provides

information used to develop goals and objectives that
are functional for the student.

How is it used?

Identify the environments and sub

environments that the student most frequently
encounters (classroom, library, home, etc).

Identify what skills are needed to be successful

in the environments (a task and discrepancy
analysis can be used for this step).

The results of the discrepancy analysis can be

used to formulate learning goals for the
student.

Task and Discrepancy Analysis

What is it?
A task analysis are the detailed steps required to complete a

task by a non-disabled peer of a similar age.

A discrepancy analysis is the identification of the

performance gaps by the student who is deaf-blind.

The use of a task/discrepancy analysis is an efficient method

to assess a student's ability to perform the steps leading to

completion of an activity or skill.

Why is it important?

Once the individual steps of a task are identified the team

can decide which steps of the activity the student can
complete independently and which steps will require
assistance.

How is it applied?
Task/discrepancy analysis can be completed for almost every task during the
students day. The team formulates a plan to teach the skill providing support
where necessary. Support required from related service providers will be
more obvious when using this tool. The student may be able to perform some
steps either independently, with partial physical assistance, with prompting,
etc.

SECTION C
Instructional Strategies

 There

is not one teaching strategy that

fits the needs of all children.
Instruction must accommodate the
childs unique learning needs and work
toward implementing the goals
outlined in the IEP.

There

are hundreds of teaching

strategies available to teachers. These
are but a few of those associated with
learners who are deaf-blind.

SPECIFIC TEACHING STRATEGIES ADDRESSED IN THIS

TRAINING MODULE:

Systematic
Instruction
Naturalistic Teaching
Routine based
instruction

Prompting

Tactile learning

Sensory Integration

Anticipation and
calendar systems

Community Based
Instruction

Van Dyke Approach

Active Learning

 Considerations

when choosing
appropriate teaching strategies:
Childs level of functioning
Skill/concept being taught
Sensory needs of the child
Age of the child
Child/family preferences

What is it?
Systematic Instruction is the basis for clearly identified goals for the lesson while the instructor follows a
structured sequence to teach the skill.

Once students learn the teaching pattern or

sequence new information can be integrated.

The sequence usually refers to the strategies
students learn that help them integrate new
information with what is already known in a
way that makes sense
This allows the information or skill to be more
easily recalled even in a different situation or

Why is it important?

The use of systematic instruction creates a safe

and predictable learning environment By using
a defined and predictable instructional
sequence, learners can integrate new
information into a process that they are already
comfortable and familiar with.

How is it applied?

The team/teacher identifies the goal and

context (activity) for learning. Choosing
skills/activities that have multiple opportunities
for practice throughout the day/week are
optimal as the child gains more exposure.

1.

A TASK/DISCREPANCY ANALYSIS (see Environmental

2.

The teacher IDENTIFIES THE GOAL and begins to teach.

Interactions between student and teacher are carefully constructed
and repeated step by step each time the learner is engaged in the
activity.

3.

IDENTIFY STRATEGIES such as modeling, guided practice, creating

problem solving situations and prompting can be used as part of the
instructional process.

4.

The LESSON SETTING may be individual or group. Some examples

include: morning circle lesson, a review of the calendar system to
begin the day, playing a structured tactile math game.

5.

SUCCESS OF THE STRATEGY relies on the teacher providing 1)

enough wait time for the child to process information, 2)
encouragement for the child to respond to information 3)
modifications during the lesson to allow for better student
understanding.

Inventory/Task & Discrepancy analysis section) may be completed to

identify which steps of the skill/activity the student will be able to
complete independently or with partial/full assistance.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.
com/26441706
This video
demonstrates an
individual lesson
with clearly defined
goals and
strategies. As the
student gains skills,
higher level goals
can be integrated.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.
com/26441291
This video
demonstrates a
morning circle
lesson with clearly
defined goals and
strategies.

What is it?
Naturalistic teaching is a child-guided approach to
teaching and learning.
The child initiates an interaction by choosing a
preferred toy or activity and the interaction
continues as the teacher and learner maintain joint
attention on the object/event. Additional strategies
associated with naturalistic teaching are time
delay, incidental teaching and the mand-model.

Why is it important?
By using a more natural approach to teaching, the
child learns to explore the environment, initiate
interactions and develop language in natural
situations.

How is it applied?

The teacher sets up the environment by placing

toys close by or setting up various activities within
sight, but not within reach of the child.

When the child shows an interest in the materials

by gesturing or requesting an item or activity, the
teacher prompts an elaboration on the initiation.

The child subsequently obtains the desired item.

The student and teacher interact with the

activity/object together. Communication and skill
development are infused into the interactions.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.co
m/26444129
In this video clip, two
students are joined by
their teacher to learn
and communicate
about an activity that
is mutually enjoyable.
With the support of
their teacher, the
students are able to
explore and build
language around a
natural situation: the
weather.

SECTION D
Routine-Based Instruction

What is it?
Routines are activities that follow a clear and
predictable sequence of events. Many routines
are performed on a daily basis or multiple
times during a day giving a learner generous
exposure to the skills involved in the routine.

Examples of
ritualized games (pat
a cake, board
games, etc.) are

Video Clips:
http://www.vimeo.com/
26446262
http://www.vimeo.com/2
6445310
These video clips show
the beginning and
ending of a circle time
routine with consistent
steps and a predictable
routine that all the
students can
understand and follow.

Video Clip:
http://www.vimeo.com/2
6443082
This example shows
another circle time
routine, yet
demonstrates the steps
to develop procedural
memory. This clip also
shows built in supports
such as adaptations for
vision that are essential
for the students
success.

Why is it important?

Daily routines and ritualized games provide

opportunities to introduce new concepts and
skills into natural events that happen
throughout the day.
Benefits of Teaching within the Context of Daily
Routines
Predictable for teachers
Promotes the collaborative teaming model
Provides opportunities to integrate therapy
Encourages family involvement and peer
interaction.

How is it applied?

Start by identifying routines that:

occur frequently
happen at predictable times
occur in a predictable manner
create anticipation and are motivating
are age appropriate

Some examples of daily routines are:

Arrival at school
Preparing for the transition to a
new activity
Daily living skills (brush teeth,
comb hair, etc)
Eating
Preparing for a math lesson

 Develop

a task/discrepancy analysis of
the routine (see Environmental
Inventory/Task & Discrepancy analysis
section). Decide which tasks in the routine
the student can complete independently
or with partial participation.

Embed

targeted skills/
the routine

concepts into

Beginning of a routine:
Announcement of movement (ex:
touch cue on the students shoulders
to communicate up)
Announcement of activity (use of
communication symbol or referent to
represent activity)
Getting ready for the routine (hearing
aids in, correct positioning, glasses
on)

Middle of a routine:
Targeted skills embedded within

the sequenced steps of the

routine.
Partial participation using
adaptations when necessary
Expressive communication
opportunities (choice making,
request more, etc.)
Games within the routine
Interactions with siblings/peers

End

of a routine:

Putting away of items used

Indication that the routine is finished

(using communication symbol/referent

to represent activity placed in a finished
box or spoken/signed language)
Present child with information about the
next activity using a communication
symbol, referent, or spoken/signed
language
Announcement of movement using a
touch cue or spoken/signed language

ROUTINE-BASED
INSTRUCTION

Expansion on Routines
Sabotage the routine to teach and

encourage problem solving skills (ex.

remove the toothpaste from its usual spot)
Expand conversations within and about the
routine (ask the student why he is putting
on a coat to prepare for the bus)
Make steps in the routine more complex to
teach new skills (have student clean and
put away dishes after making the snack)
Teach the routine in a new environment
(washing hands in the bathroom and in the
kitchen)

Thank you for participating.

For more information please
contact us at the number
or email below.
Queens College
65-30 Kissena Boulevard
PH 200 - NYDBC
Flushing, NY 11367
NYDBC@qc.cuny.edu
www.qc.cuny.edu/nydbc
718-997-4856

NYDBC Staff
Dr. Samuel Morgan, Director
Susanne Morrow, Coordinator
Clara Berg, Family Specialist
Eneida Lamberty, Assistant
Dr. Patricia Rachal, Principal
Investigator

New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative