Area 2: Sensory Development
This area of the CFVI recognises the importance of working with the child/young person and family to maximise the use and development of the senses. This will promote access and inclusion, by developing the sensory strategy that suits them best as early as possible whilst continuing to develop the effective use of other senses. This input and support will be informed by the nature and severity of the vision impairment, if it was from birth or later onset or if the condition is degenerative, and whether there are other physical or learning needs. This may involve specialist qualified professionals collaborating with other professionals, such as occupational therapists.
For more information regarding this element of the framework, please download the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) and accompanying guidance.
Examples of targeted intervention approaches
- Tactile/haptic perception and development.
- Fine and gross motor skills.
- Engaging with surroundings.
- Vestibular development – sense of balance, head/eye-coordination, visual scanning.
- Proprioceptive and kinaesthetic development - sense of movement (sense the position of our body when moving through space, as well as to describe the movement of individual body parts in relation to one another).
- Olfactory development – sense of smell (e.g. smells to support sensory stories/identify food; identify danger such as smoke).
- Using vision effectively.
- Visual stimulation / visual development.
- Auditory skills: listening skills, hearing and making sense of what is heard, being able to listen to audio at increasing speeds to support learning.
- Managing sensory overload, reducing sensory stimulation, working with tactile selectiveness.
Use of resources in practice
When using resources signposted via or downloaded from RNIB Bookshare, consideration should be given to any health and safety risks that might be involved and it is the responsibility of the user of these resources to undertake an appropriate risk assessment where applicable. RNIB assumes no responsibility or liability to the extent permitted by law for any injury, loss or damage incurred as a result of any use or reliance upon the information and material contained within or downloaded from RNIB Bookshare.
Resources:
Maximising the use and development of the senses: sensory efficiency
Overviews
- Perkins School for the Blind: The importance of sensory efficiency (External). A brief description of sensory efficiency skills and why they are important. For parents, other professionals, and CYPVI.
- Perkins School for the Blind: Sensory Efficiency (External). This US website has a range of resources on teaching students with VI including this brief description of sensory efficiency skills and their relevance to transition. The overview would be of interest also to parents. There is information about a textbook that may provide useful content for QTVIs and Habilitation Specialists.
- Family Connect - APH: Sensory efficiency and the expanded core curriculum (External). This US website for parents offers a brief description of sensory efficiency skills with links to further content on visual efficiency skills, listening skills, and sensory efficiency skills for deafblind children.
Tactile/haptic perception and development
- Please see Area 4: Literacy resources relating to braille/pre-braille
- Please see Area 7: Accessing Information resources relating to tactile graphics
Fine and gross motor skills
- Please see Area 4: Literacy resources relating to braille/pre-braille
Vestibular, proprioreceptive and kinaesthetic development
- Please refer to downloadable resources below relating to early mobility
Auditory Skills
- Teaching Students with Visual Impairments: Auditory Readiness (External). This US website has a range of resources on teaching students with VI including guidance on teaching listening skills with a focus on auditory readiness.
- Teaching Students with Visual Impairments: Listening Skills Instruction (External). This US website has a range of resources on teaching students with VI including this guidance on helping to develop listening and auditory skills.
- VIEW Member Newsletter Autumn 2019: article on sonification and its applications for CYPVI (External). Sonification is the use of sounds and pitches to convey information. It can be an important tool for use by QTVIs and Habilitation Specialists in helping CYPVI develop auditory skills.
Here are links to sensory stories that bring together many of the targeted intervention approaches found in this area of the framework.
- Sight Scotland: How to create sensory story resources for pupils with visual impairment - for educators (External). This video demonstrates how to introduce things to touch, things to taste, things to listen to, things to smell to lend a full round of experiences to that young person and bring the story to life for them.
Sight Scotland: Sensory activities and creative arts for pupils with visual impairment and complex needs (External). This video shows how touch, music and sounds can be used alongside sensory story telling.
Sight Scotland: Mindfulness for pupils with visual impairment and complex needs (External). This video demonstrates strategies that can be used to help children and young people with a VI and complex needs to relax. It looks at breathing techniques, body awareness and the use of sensory stories.
- The Bridge School: sensory stories (External). Example of sensory stories developed by The Bridge School.
- Inclusive Teach: Sensory Story Collection (External). This page collates all the sensory stories published on inclusiveteach.com. A sensory story is one that serves to activate each of the senses to encourage engagement in a range of learning situations.
- Chidren's Trust: Sensory Stories (External). Sensory stories pair spoken word with sensory stimuli and as a result, stories come alive for our young people. You will find a wide range of age appropriate stories in this section along with a list of alternative resources you can find at home.
Downloadable Resources
Information guides:
Activity Cards for parents and professionals (these are specifically linked to sensory development; but these, and further resources can also be found in Area 5: Orientation and Mobility).
- Guide Dogs: My Early Movements
- Guide Dogs: Feeling Things Close to Me
- Guide Dogs: Supported Sitting
- Guide Dogs: Learning to Sit Independently
- Guide Dogs: Using my senses to Understand Where I Am
- Guide Dogs: Me and My Body
- Guide Dogs: Rolling and Exploring
- Guide Dogs: Sounds Around Me
- Guide Dogs: My Strong Hands
Instructional guide: