in learning experiences, based on an access hierarchy (Cook & Polgar, 2015). Bottom line is: no mastery or readiness is needed for students to use these access tools; they will learn to use them by using them for authentic, motivating tasks.
SOLUTION #3: CREATE A VISUALLY BALANCED SCHEDULE When the amount of noise and movement in a typical classroom is stressful, students with CVI will need to have frequent breaks. For activities that are particularly visually challenging, visual breaks may be necessary every 5-6 minutes. Tietjen (2019) reminds us that a visual break is a right, and should not be given or taken away based on ‘good’ or ‘bad’ behavior. It is important to note that visual breaks can still involve the use of vision.
An activity is considered a visual break when all items are checked: √ All adult-driven visual demands cease
√ Student chooses the activity √ Student finds it enjoyable √ Doing this activity helps the student recharge √ The break is not given as a reward
Team members may give students choices of their favorite calming activities, such as those identified in Table 1. Other ex- amples of breaks could include: meditating in a quiet room with the lights low, imagination games, playing with favorite toy (or fidget), watching a favorite video clip, bouncing on a ball or rocking in a rocking chair. When giving students breaks it is important to make sure that some of the breaks are things students can do by themselves. When exposed to high levels of visual and auditory clutter, some students with CVI may not be able to complete tasks that seemed relatively easy to complete in a quiet room. When professionals want to work on activities which require more visual attention, they may need to find a quieter, less stimulating environment. The level of complexity of a visual task will vary depending on the student’s degree/level of CVI. A balanced schedule will take into consideration student’s visual battery and distribute the visual demands throughout the day. Consulting with the TVI when planning literacy activities can guide decision-making so that students can be encouraged to use their vision at comfortable levels of complexity, and to focus on developing their listening skills at other times. Many literacy concepts can be taught through auditory channels, without re- quiring the student to use vision at the same time. It is important to find the balance of when to solely use auditory channels, versus when and how to incorporate vision into the activity. Work with the TVI to find daily opportunities for students to use their vision to assist in learning, particularly when students are still figuring out how to use their vision, or to integrate vision with function (Phase I and II). A student with rela- tively mild CVI (Phase III on the CVI Range) may be able to visually attend to the text in a book when the location of the text is controlled and viewed in a quiet place (such as the resource room). The same student may not be able to visually attend to similar sized text on a daily schedule that includes more visual elements, either on the page (complex array) or around the classroom (complex environment). Tasks that are visually challenging for students (such as visually discriminating letters or printed words) can be scheduled to take place where other competing sensory input is reduced. The example below illustrates interventions designed for a student learning to use his vision (Phase I CVI). Case Study: Balancing visual demands during emergent writing. Allen is learning to select letters during emergent writing activities through the use of an “alternative pencil.” Allen is familiar with the ABCs from listening to the ABC song. He is comfortable listening as letters are listed and is learning to activate a switch when he hears a letter he wants. Based on input from the TVI, a three-ring binder was designed. Each page is black, and has only one let- ter with a neon red outline (reducing the complexity of array and highlighting the shape of the letter). This version is designed for partner assisted scanning with auditory plus vision. The partner slowly goes through the pages and says each letter. When there are no other competing sensory distractions (student movements, other conversations, visual clutter), the color and size of the letters are designed to entice his vision. However, the goal of an emergent writing activity is to enjoy the process of self-selecting letters to produce something authentic and personal that he can be proud to share. For his part, Allen was immediately engaged in making his selections through auditory channels. Initially, he was not attending visually to the letters and this was not a requirement for participation in the activity. After three months of writing, it was noted that he was looking at the letters more often, especially when the partner provided pauses and there were no competing noises.
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