Hi icommunicate,

I wonder you can try and help me. I see a child at a special school who is both hearing impaired and blind. He has hearing aids (which he often tends to take out) and there is a general feeling amongst his teachers that his level of understanding is quite good (although this has not been assessed sufficiently). One of the major issues is communication. He is 6 years old, has no recognisable speech and does not sign. Do you have any ideas about where we can start to improve his communication skills?

Hoping you have some good ideas

Thanks Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Gosh, this is a tough one. Have you got access to visual impairment specialist, that might be a start.

So we have a number of issues here, there is the visual and hearing impairment, he has no functional means of communication and we are unaware of his receptive language.

I would start with 2 or 3 signs which you can teach hand over hand. Teach some signs that will be used throughout the day and whenever you do the hand over hand signing also say the word so that he might get some auditory feedback through his aided hearing. Use his hand over your hand when you do the sign. This may take time, but see if he can pick up some signs

The other thing is to use objects of reference and/or textures. Objects can be used for him to feel before he does a task so he knows what is happening e.g. cup for drink, piece of towel for swimming etc. This can also be used to make choices e.g. offer him two objects and see which one is chosen.

Textures can also be used e.g. have a differently textured squares put on different doors around the school. When the child touches the the square they know which room they are going into e.g. classroom, toilet, gym etc. Textures squares can be used around the classroom on cupboards etc.

Objects and textures can also be used on a timetable so that the student can feel what is going to happen in their day.

Thanks for your questions Sarah, I hope that gives you a few pointers. I will do a video about this subject sometime in the next few months.

Regards Johan

Hi Sarah,

I know this was posted many months ago so unsure if this is still helpful or relevant!

Really good advice from Johan though. Have you had luck/made progress introducing object/tactile cues and signs?

Getting a VI teacher involved is important. Is he getting any advice from anyone with MSI (multi sensory impairment) experience? I am not sure where you are located, but Sense (deafblind charity) and RNIB (royal national institute for the blind) in the UK offer support and advice for children with MSI and the RNIB offers short courses and workshops as well.

I am not sure what additional needs this child has (e.g. congition), but if signing has been difficult watching him the natural cues he uses can be helpful. Such as if he claps his hands if he likes an activity and wants more this can become his sign for 'more' initially and this can then be shaped. Thus helps teaches the child that he can have a communicative impact on his environment.

Choosing signs that have solid contact with the body rather than those made in space are easier for blind children, especialliy initially. Canaan Barry is a sign system that has been developed from British sign language to be tactile in nature and therefore give more information to children with visual impairment. You can also adapt signs yourself!

Finally, children who are blind can be very resistant to a hand over hand style (although he may be fine!)as they can not see what is being done with their hands. Developing a hand under hand style..where his hands sit on yours when you are signing and eventually your hands sit on his when he is signing can be helpful as communication progresses. This turn taking can be developed through toy play.

I hope this helps, but as it was so long ago and you already got some great advice from Johan this may not be terribly helpful!!

All the best,
Tara

Really sorry..the correct spelling is 'Cannan Barrie' sign system...I should have really checked that before posting!

In the past, I interpreted for a college educated man who was deaf/blind from birth. i would sign and fingerspelling into his open palm so he could feel the signs. He had learned this skill as a young child, by being taught, first simple signs for objects and actions and then as he progressed to spelling.