A Field Study of a Standardized Tangible Symbol System for Learners who are Visually Impaired and have Multiple Disabilities

Introduction

The study reported in this article tracked the learning rate of 43 children with multiple disabilities and visual impairments who had limited to no verbal language across seven months of classroom-based intervention using a standardized set of tangible symbols.

Methods

The participants were introduced to tangible symbols on a daily basis during a seven-month field study. The tangible symbols were embedded into the curriculum during daily classroom routines and were used in addition to any other forms of expressive or receptive communication that were already in place in the classroom. The data were collected daily from teachers and therapists. Throughout the seven-month period, data were recorded for 30,220 opportunities to use tangible symbols. The participants had 2 to 9 recorded opportunities to use tangible symbols per day throughout the study.

Results

Over a four-month period, the participants identified 46% of the tangible symbols to which they were exposed, and cognitive, language, play, and symbolism skills were not factors related to the successful acquisition of tangible symbols. The strongest predictor of outcome was independent ambulation, and seven symbols were the most often identified. In addition, decontextualized pre- and posttesting proved less effective as a measurement tool than did daily classroom probes immediately following activities.

Discussion

The results suggest that even children with the most severe impairments were able to identify the use of many of the tangible symbols.

Implications for practitioners

One implication of this research is that data collection allows teachers or therapists to measure progress in the acquisition of tangible symbols objectively and that it fosters the development of goals for the students’ Individualized Education Programs.

The Trifocus Framework and Interprofessional Collaborative Practice in Severe Disabilities

PURPOSE

Individuals with severe disabilities are a diverse group of learners with complex communication needs. This article presents a synthesis of the literature addressing the five strategies of the trifocus framework, with its triadic structure of learner with disability, communication partner, and environment. The application of interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) to the implementation of trifocus framework communication strategies is emphasized.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar and EBSCO to identify literature and research studies on IPCP and communication intervention for learners with severe disabilities, published 1994-2015, and then organized within the trifocus framework. The trifocus strategies are enhancing sensitivity, utilizing routines, increasing communication opportunities, modifying the communication environment, and augmenting input. Studies that included at least one participant with severe disabilities and their communication partners were considered. A secondary search was then conducted by reviewing the articles referenced in the original articles.

CONCLUSION

Effective IPCP in communication intervention considers the learner's characteristics, the knowledge and skills required of communication partners, and effective environmental arrangements to support communication. Future research should include clear participant descriptions, documentation of fidelity measures, and evidence of generalization to support professionals to know when findings are relevant to the individuals they serve.

Initial evidence of the reliability and validity of a three-dimensional body rating scale for the congenitally blind

Research on body dissatisfaction has grown significantly. However, valid and reliable instruments for measuring body dissatisfaction in the congenitally blind have yet to be developed. In three studies, we report on development, test-retest reliability, and concurrent and content validity of the Three-dimensional Body Rating Scale (3BRS) for the congenitally blind. In Study 1, 58 people with congenital blindness (28 women, 30 men; M age = 36.7, SD = 13.1) numerically ordered models of the 3BRS and models of the Two-dimensional Body Rating Scale (2BRS), from very thin to the very fat. In Study 2, the construct validity and reliability of the 38RS was assessed. The same participants from Study 1 chose the 3BRS model that represented their ideal body and the 3BRS model that represented their actual body. Two weeks later, a re-test was done. In Study 3, 16 experts judged the content validity of the 3BRS. The psychometric properties of the 3BRS, its utility, and its limitations are discussed along with considerations for future research.

Enabling two women with blindness and additional disabilities to make phone calls independently via a computer-aided telephone system

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether two women with blindness and additional disabilities could make independent phone calls through a computer-aided telephone system.

METHOD

For each participant, the study involved an ABAB design, in which the A represented baseline phases and the B represented intervention phases with the special telephone system (involving among others a net-book computer with specific software, a global system for mobile communication modem and a microswitch).

RESULTS

Both participants learned to use the system and made phone calls independently to a variety of partners such as family members, friends and staff personnel.

CONCLUSION

The system assessed in this study might represent a useful means for enabling persons with blindness and additional disabilities to manage phone calls on their own.