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Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programswww.tsbvi.edu
512-454-8631Superintendent William DaughertyOutreach Director Cyral Miller
Texas Focus: Learning From Near to FarTangible Symbols, or Are They? Strategies for Determining Meaningful Tangible Symbols for Your Student
Time: 8:30-10:00 AMDate: June 11, 2010
Presented byPhilip D. Schweigert, Instructional LeadNew Mexico School for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Developed forTexas 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 StudentPhilip 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 COMMUNICATIONSensory Mode and Form to which Learner Responds
Visual (Motor / Gestural)
Proximity of person
Faces
Eye contact
Facial expressions
Gestures
Visual regard
Manual signs
Sign language
Auditory (Vocal)
Any vocalization
Speech in general
Intonation/ register stress of speech
Specific words
Spoken language
Tactile
Handling
Touch
Specific touch cues
Hand-in-hand signs
Visual and/or Tactile (Tangible Cues)
Environmental cues
Object symbols
Picture symbols
Abstract symbol systems (Braille, BLISS)
Texas Focus Parent Pre-Conference: Connecting From Near And Far - Schweigert 8
AWARENESSDescription: 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
ANTICIPATIONDescription: 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
RECOGNITIONDescription: 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 9
2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 10
Figure 1 Page from Tangible Symbols Pretest - Part 1
Figure 2 Page from Tangible Symbols Pretest - Part 1
2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 11
2010 Texas Focus: Learning From Near to Far - Schweigert 12
Figure 3 Page filled in on Tangible Symbols Pretest - Part 1
REQUESTING ATTENTIONDoes 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 RECOGNITIONSome 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 13
FAST MAPPINGAs 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.
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J .J . Transitions: •Transition ‘Heads-UP’ (3-5 minutes bef ore) •Transition Song •Hand/ Show J J symbol f or the current activity and indicate “finished” •Assist J J to travel to schedule •Assist J J to place symbol f or completed activity in “Finished” box “____ is all done; good job J J . “ •“What’s Next J .J . “and Assist J J to go to next symbol (f rom lef t) in schedule •Assist J .J . to get symbol •“Show Me”.. Assist J J to show symbol f or next activity “Yeah J J that’s right! I t’s time for ____” •Travel to corresponding area •Repeat f or each transit ion
Figure 4 Sample Transitions Routine.
ASSESSMENTAssessment 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.
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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 16
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
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•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 18
Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Outreach Programs
1100 West 45th Street
Austin, Texas 78756
512-454-8631www.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.
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