Employ all Senses Whilst Teaching

It has been found that most brain development occurs in the first two years of an individual’s life. Therefore in the world of education and child development, stimulation is crucial to a child and communication helps the developing child to make sense of the world and of his/her surroundings. Talking and listening to children from the moment they are born, whether or not they have visual impairment, helps children to develop a good mastery of language and communication skills. Language gives names and concepts to what children hear, touch, smell and taste. Communication helps them to develop the ability to listen and express themselves well on the one hand, to make and develop good and lasting relationships on the other. Apart from the benefits of language and communication, children with visual impairment are more likely to be more sensitive to sound, touch, taste and smell. They need play and toys to enable them to develop and use their senses. It is important to note that each visually impaired child is individual in their need for sensory input. The parent, teacher or care-giver would therefore need to adjust their own behaviour and support according to the child’s/individual’s needs.

· Vision: Children with low vision should be encouraged to use the vision they have. You should facilitate this by controlling environmental conditions like lighting, colour, glare, size and contrast. Have the child move close to you at story or circle time, or indeed to move closer to the board or further away from it as it were. Your support may be that you let the child hold learning materials at whatever distance or angle that is best for them. Your choice of toys should be light, bright colours or contrasting colours. Use legible, big print books, select pictures that have colourful simple drawings rather than pictures that are visually cluttered. Also use matted finishes instead of glossy finishes if the child is learning with photographs, to reduce glare. · Touch: Children with vision impairment learn a great deal through using their hands and through touch. Provide opportunities for feeling all the components of an object. Provide toys that have a variety of textures, shapes, sizes and weight. Provide toys that have many different ways to activate and manipulate them such as: pushing pressing, pulling, sliding, punching and so on. · Hearing: Provide experiences and activities (within the child’s age and understanding) that aim to help him develop in his auditory ability to discriminate people’s voices and sounds. Encourage the child to listen and use auditory cues to locate people or places. For example, in a bathroom or toilet, sounds like the drip in the water cistern would suggest it’s a toilet. Provide also toys that provide auditory feedback, cause and effect, when they are manipulated. · Keying into hand-use and experiential learning: Children with visual impairment learn a great deal through using their hands and touch as I have earlier stated. Allowing them to touch your face for instance, and naming the parts of the face, helps with learning the concept of the body. Placing the child’s hand on your face so that it is near your nose and lips would give him the sense of what happens when you are talking, chewing or breathing. He would feel the vibrations through your face and learn of the different muscle and jaw movements (through feeling) for the different actions you make. At meal-times, teach food textures, smell and taste. Use the appropriate words to talk about the aroma, flavour and texture of the food. So you could be using words like hard lumpy, sour, spicey, sweet. Endeavour to consciously build the child’s lexicon as you speak. This series would be incomplete without mentioning some tips to protect your eyesight. It is said that the eyes are the light of the body. If you are sighted, take care of your eyes by: · Eating the right food - Fruits and vegetables like mango, squash, broccoli, green beans and spinach are known to help maintain good eye sight. · Wearing sunglasses - Ultra violet light from the sun’s rays can cause damage to your eyes. Check that your shades have a UV factor rating. · Take regular breaks from your computer:Take frequent breaks from your computer. Resting your eyes can avoid headaches, soreness, eyestrains and double-vision. · Family history - Knowing your family’s eye history is worth the while. Glaucoma for instance can be hereditary (although it may skip generations). Glaucoma causes things to become patchy among other things. · Wear safety glasses - When cleaning or gardening, carpentering, welding or mending, consider wearing safety glasses. Chemicals, garden debris, nails and splinters can cause injury to your eyes. · Cosmetics - Take care when using eye make-up, make-up remover or other cream around your eyes. Close your eyes or turn away when spraying perfumes or hairspray. · Eye-Injury - Seek medical attention as soon as possible following an injury. Do not be unbothered about pain in your eyes, blurred vision or loss of vision. · Diabetes - People who have diabetes are at risk of losing vision through a condition called diabetic retinopathy. · Visit your optician - It is recommended that people have an eye test every two years. A regular eye test can identify any early indications of diseases such as cataract and glaucoma. .