Supporting Students with CVI Through Technology:

That level of responsiveness shifts instructional planning from guesswork to intentional design. The system allows mul- tiple team members, such as TVIs, classroom staff, related ser- vice providers, and families, to participate in a student’s support plan by sharing data, reviewing sessions, and contributing to implementation. For many teams, especially those supporting nonverbal learners or students with multiple disabilities, having this visual feedback affirms what they are seeing. In some cases, it reveals patterns they may otherwise have missed. Educators are also using the platform to support routines that build visual skills over time. One teacher embedded a cal- endar routine with highly familiar images into her daily practice. She used CViConnect PRO’s session history to track whether her student began to recognize the images more quickly or showed changes in visual latency. Over several weeks, she observed stronger visual engagement and faster recognition. These were changes that hadn’t been obvious through observation alone. Lauren Stanton noted, “ CViConnect PRO assisted classroom teachers in determining placement for students' materials within their visual field preference. Based on student behaviors and visual attendance, teachers were able to choose and create better educa- tional items in the classroom. ” These stories reflect the kind of thoughtful, flexible instruc- tion that many TVIs and early educators are already doing. What the tool provides is a way to make that instruction more precise, more informed, and more collaborative across teams. BUILDING INSIGHT: HOW EDUCATORS ARE TRACKING AND ADAPTING Once a strategy is in place, the real value comes from observ- ing how the student responds. CViConnect PRO helps make this process more consistent, especially when tracking visual atten- tion over time. Educators often describe how having access to session data gives them greater confidence in team discussions and IEP meetings. It is no longer just about what was observed in the moment, but what the student has demonstrated across multiple sessions. One teacher described it this way: “ Before using CViConnect PRO, we were relying on anecdotal notes and our impressions. Now I can show the team that the stu- dent’s longest looks occurred during quiet times or when the target is purple and moving. That completely changed how we planned the day. ”

This kind of information empowers teams to adjust both in- struction and the learning environment. Some educators have used the noise data to identify patterns of auditory distraction. One home visit provider realized just how much she and mom were talking during sessions and how that disrupted the child’s ability to maintain gaze on the visual targets. Others have used trends in visual latency to help teams give the student enough time to locate the target. These insights are especially useful for students who are unable to communicate preferences through speech or gestures. Findings from a federally funded OSEP Stepping Up Technolo- gy grant reinforce these experiences. The project evaluated over 2,800 instructional sessions using CViConnect PRO. Students who received instruction from trained TVIs looked at the screen more often, sustained their gaze for longer periods, and spent more overall time attending to visual information compared to students whose TVIs had not received training. Those without training showed more random screen tapping, suggesting that thoughtful implementation and professional development con- tribute directly to improved visual engagement (OSEP CViCon- nect Project Data, 2024).

For new users, getting started with this kind of visual track- ing doesn’t require a complicated plan. Many teachers begin

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