Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs www.tsbvi.edu 512-454-8631 Superintendent William Daugherty Outreach Director Cyral Miller Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far Tangible Symbols, or Are They? Strategies for Determining Meaningful Tangible Symbols for Your Student Time: 8:30-10:00 AM Date: June 11, 2010 Presented by Philip D. Schweigert, Instructional Lead New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Developed for Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs
Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 1
Tangible Symbols, or Are They? Strategies for Determining Meaningful Tangible Symbols for Your Student Philip D. Schweigert New Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Albuquerque, NM PROPERTIES OF TANGIBLE SYMBOLS Iconic: clear perceptual relationship to referent Permanent: lower memory demands Manipulable: make communication exchange literal Simple Motor Response: required to indicate symbol Tactually Discriminable TYPES OF TANGIBLE SYMBOLS (Rowland and Schweigert 2000) Levels of Representation: Identical Object Referent: Raisins, Bolt Symbol: A few raisins glued to a piece of cardboard A bolt is shrink-wrapped onto cardboard backing Levels of Representation: Partial or Associated Object Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 2
Referent: Shoe, Bicycle, Car/Out, Eating Symbol: Shoelace, Handle Grip, Car Key, Spoon Levels of Representation: One or Two Shared Features Referent: Pretzel, Multicolored Vinyl, Therapy Ball Symbol: Thermoform of pretzel (shares shape & size with referent) Wood block covered with multicolored vinyl Shares texture and color with referent; for blind individuals only one feature <texture> is shared Levels of Representation: Artificial Association Referent: Work Table, Cafeteria Symbol: Ribbed rubber mat is attached to table: a small piece of the mat serves as the symbol Wooden apple shape is attached to cafeteria door: a similar shape serves as the symbol Levels of Representation: Photographs Referent: Self-Explanatory Symbol: Self-Explanatory Levels of Representation: Line Drawings Referent: Self-Explanatory Symbol: Self-Explanatory Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 3
TANGIBLE MEANS... Physically Tangible Conceptually Tangible to the INDIVIDUAL USER (eye of the beholder) TANGIBLE SYMBOLS INSTRUCTION KEY ELEMENTS Readiness Motivation Indicating Response Comprehension Promoting Progress Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 4
Preintentional Behavior The child s behavior is not under his own control. It is in reaction to things (such as feeling hungry or wet or sleepy). Parents interpret the child s state from his general behaviors, such as body movements, facial expressions and sounds. Intentional Behavior The child s behavior is now intentional (under the child s control), but she does not understand that If I do this, Mom or Dad will do that for me in other words she does not communicate intentionally yet. Parents continue to interpret the child s needs and desires from her behavior, such as body movements, facial expressions, vocalizations and eye gaze. Unconventional Communication The child uses pre-symbolic behaviors intentionally to express his needs and desires to other people. They are called unconventional because they are not socially acceptable for us to use as we grow older: they include body movements, vocalizations, facial expressions and simple gestures (such as tugging on people). Conventional Communication The child uses pre-symbolic behaviors intentionally to express her needs and desire to other people. Conventional gestures include behaviors such as pointing and nodding the head yes. We continue to use conventional gestures as adults to accompany our language. Note that many of these gestures (and especially pointing) require good visual skills and may not be appropriate for children with severe vision impairment. Concrete Symbols Symbols physically resemble what they represent in a way that is obvious to the child they look like, feel like, move like or sound like what they represent. Concrete symbols include picture symbols, Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 5
objects used as symbols (such as a shoelace to represent shoe ), certain iconic gestures (such as patting a chair to say sit down ) and sounds (such as making a buzzing sound to refer to a bee). Children with severe physical impairments may access picture and object symbols through the use of a mechanical device or by pointing, touching or eye gaze. Abstract Symbols The child uses abstract symbols such as speech, manual signs, or Brailled or printed words. These symbols do not look, feel, or sound like what they represent. They are used one at a time. Language The child combines symbols (any sort of symbols) into ordered two- or three-symbol combinations ( want juice, me want juice ), according to grammatical rules. The child understands that the meaning of word combinations may differ depending upon how the symbols are arranged. Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 6
CHARACTERISTICS OF INTENTIONAL COMMUNICATION Persistence Repetition Alternating Gaze (body orientation, leaning toward) Changing the signal used Awaiting a response Terminating the signal when responded to Indicating satisfaction or dissatisfaction to response (Wetherby& Prizant 1989) Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 7
RECEPTIVE COMMUNICATION Sensory Mode and Form to which Learner Responds Visual (Motor / Gestural) Proximity of person Faces Eye contact Facial expressions Tactile Handling Touch Specific touch cues Hand-in-hand signs Gestures Visual regard Manual signs Sign language Auditory (Vocal) Any vocalization Speech in general Visual and/or Tactile (Tangible Cues) Environmental cues Object symbols Picture symbols Abstract symbol systems (Braille, BLISS) Intonation/ register stress of speech Specific words Spoken language Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 8
AWARENESS Description: Reacts to People and may begin to orient towards them Example: Quiets fusses stiffens when engaged by another person May begin to turn or lean toward them when engaged by them ANTICIPATION Description: Orients toward people and may begin to attend to their communicative behavior Example: Quiets and orient to, touching or tactually exploring the person when engaged. Shows general anticipation such as smiling, reaching toward, when engaged by another person RECOGNITION Description: Attends to another's communication and responds to their specific behaviors and intents Example: Shows specific response associated with a specific cue from other person such as leans forward when presented with a bib, or bounces when assisted to touch the therapy ball 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 10
Figure 1 Page from Tangible Symbols Pretest - Part 1 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 11
Figure 2 Page from Tangible Symbols Pretest - Part 1 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 12
Figure 3 Page filled in on Tangible Symbols Pretest - Part 1 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 13
REQUESTING ATTENTION Does the indicating response you have targeted include a means for the child to gain your attention? If not, consider how the child will do this: Touch you Vocalize Approach you Raise hand or other gesture toward you COMPREHENSION: How do you know that the individual really understands what the symbols mean? MORE ABOUT PICTURE RECOGNITION Some studies have suggested that children first develop the ability to Recognize (point and label) picture Then interpret them (get information about their world from them Finally learn that pictures can be used to represent specific reality (using them for symbolic communication) It may be possible to teach someone to use a more abstract symbol through repeated practice but the task is far easier if the learner understands the representation inherent in the symbol. 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 14
FAST MAPPING As the learner begins to acquire vocabulary at a certain level of symbolic representation new vocabulary may be learned at a faster rate Moving the learner to a more abstract level too soon rather than allowing them to develop a meaningful vocabulary at the current level may preclude this fast mapping. J.J. Transitions: Transition Heads-UP (3-5 minutes before) Transition Song Hand/Show JJ symbol for the current activity and indicate finished Assist JJ to travel to schedule Assist JJ to place symbol for completed activity in Finished box is all done; good job JJ. What s Next J.J. and Assist JJ to go to next symbol (from left) in schedule Assist J.J. to get symbol Show Me.. Assist JJ to show symbol for next activity Yeah JJ that s right! It s time for Travel to corresponding area Repeat for each transition Figure 4 Sample Transitions Routine. 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 15
ASSESSMENT Assessment of Skills. Indicate if you are conducting an assessment to determine the learner s communicative behaviors and intents in the home and or school environment. Assessment of Preferences. Indicate if you are investigating what is motivating to the learner at this time. Often times this is an ongoing part of instruction. Symbol Type Probe. If applicable, conduct Tangible Symbols Pretest Assessment of Environment. Indicate if you are conducting an analysis of the child s environment to determine existing and new supports to learning. 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 16
TEACHING ROUTINE: (CUES, RESPONSES AND CONSEQUENCES) Materials/Vocabulary. List the specific materials used in this activity to teach or practice the target skills. Array size. Indicate the number of objects presented at one time Distractors. If appropriate, describe whether the objects other than the desired one in the array are nothing (unknown), non-preferred or equally preferred items. Instructional Format. Describe the manner in which objects are presented to the learner (e.g. to his left, randomly, with contrasting backgrounds, one at a time, etc.). Describe how the learning opportunity is to be provided (e.g. Direct Instruction or Environmental Engineering; duration and manner of interaction before pausing, alternating treatment reinforcement first then no reinforcement phase etc). Scanning. Describe any assistance provided as needed to insure that the learner is aware of what is available. Instructional Cues. Describe what the teacher does to elicit a response from the learner. Targeted Behavior. Describe how the learner is to respond. This may include any mechanical adaptation Time/Latency. Indicate the amount of time to be allowed the learner to respond. Level of Assistance. Describe any physical assistance, model/demonstration, or other assistance that is being provided to the learner to make his response. Protest/Reject. Describe the behavior or absence of behavior, used by the learner to reject choices or further engagement with current activity. 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 17
Consequence. Describe the manner in which the partner responds when the learner makes a correct and, (if possible/appropriate), an incorrect response. Rowland and Schweigert 2000 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 18
ENVIRONMENT Setting. Describe the context in which the learning opportunity is being targeted. Partner. List the person(s) with whom the learner will be interacting in the target activity. Position. Describe any unique positioning considerations that will be made to enable the learner to respond. This may include partner s position in relation to the learner. Rowland and Schweigert 2000 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 19
Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs 1100 West 45 th Street Austin, Texas 78756 512-454-8631 www.tsbvi.edu Figure 5 TSBVI Outreach Programs logo Figure 6 OSEP logo This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education. 2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 20