[blindkid] depth perception &" Pre-Braille" strategies

[Carrie Gilmer]

Carolyn,
Go to www.nfb.org/nopbc and type depth perception into the search engine,
you will get 67 results I think. The IEP one with Doris willougby (she is
the author of the handbook) looks good it also has actual sample goals Doris
wrote
***CAUTION though that any child's goals should be written individually,
this is just a template for knowing a what a good plan and expectations
might look like.

Also Carolyn you know we will be with Ruby Ryles this weekend too, did you
know?

I'm so glad you had this eval done! Especially right before the seminar this
weekend with so many people to ask. Can't wait to hear who did it and how
you found and ...smile.

Remember on our kids there is very very little documented and pretty much no
researched teaching methods.

On the earlier question, (Marie Smith) there is no research to say which
method is really superior that I know of. Many used Mangold successfully.
Many of the really great teachers I know sort of have melded their own
through time worn practice of taking a piece of this that is good and a
piece of that (and have not had time to write it down!!!!!), many now I talk
to think the Patterns series WAY too slow and the Mangold in parts boring. A
good teacher and teacher trainer I know recommends Beginning with Braille by
Anna Swenson from www.aph.org for parents and teachers. The biggest thing I
hear over and over from the really "greats" are what matches early print
reader experiences and are the same really: Exposure exposure repetition
through drills but also games and silliness and fun--it really needs all the
things regular pre-reading and early and emerging readers need with sounds
and pairing that with the letters and phonics and identification through
repetition and hearing and telling stories and identifying only now by touch
lots of touch.  Print and Braille can be learned side by side, just usually
there is no equal at all in exposure the print exposure is many many times
more, just because it is easier to get. We have a ways to go on getting this
(good teaching strategies) documented and researched.

For my own son he had no Braille at all pre-k, none not one dot, we did not
know he was blind until seven months before K. Then he was introduced
letters as they were in the classroom, and contractions as the spellings and
words were also in class. He had no trouble with confusion or learning the
contractions at all, none, nada, zip,(why some have said they liked
patterns-because of concern they get confused), his trouble was the fluency
because he did not get any books to read except they sent home finally in
second grade a couple of patterns books, which another teacher in first
grade had unbeknown to us begun to use. I don’t know how much Patterns he
was actually taught. But I do know that from K-first half of first grade it
was the same as what he was learning in print.

Sorry trying to get two with one here, 
 
Carrie Gilmer, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
Home Phone: 763-784-8590
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
www.nfb.org/nopbc

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Carly
Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 7:43 PM
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blindkid] depth perception & Re: Pressure on school district

Holly, it's been *great* following your story and I appreciate the
documentation you are including, both your communications and theirs.
Thanks, also, to those who have responded to Holly's questions. I am just
soaking it up because we are in our own struggle with the school and
hammering out an acceptable IEP. While not all of the specifics are the same
as Holly's, there are enough similarities to give me much to go on. So
THANKS AGAIN, everyone! :) 
 
Question for you: I just had our 6 yo son (adopted at age 5) evaluated this
morning for OT service. This evaluation was done independent of the school.
The therapist noted that Brian has depth perception problems. We have known
this since day 1. He has been "toeing" since we got him. The OT mentioned
that because the brain can only process one image at a time, that when the
eyes don't work together that it makes the printed letters appear to jump
around on the page. I had never thought of that before! I'm wondering if
there is any documentation about depth perception causing print reading
difficulties. I couldn't find anything in a Google search but thought
someone here might know of something. 
 
Thanks for any info you can provide me!
 
--Carolynn


      
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