By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated October 28, 2017

Concept development involves understanding the characteristics of an object and it’s spatial relationship with other objects. Students with visual impairments miss out on many opportunities to learn concepts incidentally as they may not be able to observe and effectively interact with their world.  Students who are blind or visually impaired need to be provided with meaningful experiences and interaction with real objects that they can touch, hear, smell and see (if they have any vision). 
As stated in the Impact on Development and Learning section of this website, there are three primary limitations that students with visual impairments face. These include:
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  1. A loss in the range and variety of experiences;
  2. A loss or the restriction in the ability to get around (which influences opportunities both for gaining access to experiences and for developing social relationships); and
  3. Loss of the control of the environment and the self in relation to it.

Students may also need guided exploration and explanations of what they are interacting with. Explanations provide the student with vocabulary associated with the experience, help the student make sense of what they are feeling and make connections to previous experiences. These experiences will help develop the students understanding of new concepts, develop their language, and motivate them to explore their environment which will subsequently lead to motor development.

To minimize or eliminate these restrictions, it is important to provide concrete and unifying experiences as well as to encourage the student to be a part of the action by "doing". When provided with concrete experiences, the student will experience many opportunities to develop concepts. Many of these concepts can be developed simply by actively participating in family and school routines. Other opportunities can be created that are fun and relevant for both students with visual impairments, but for sighted peers and siblings too. Both the Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments and the Orientation and Mobility Specialist will work with the student on building concepts. ​

Objects

(ex. chair, table, paper, book, etc.) 
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​The best way to help children to identify and understand the difference between objects is to expose them to a wide variety of objects. Encourage the student to interact with the object and identify the characteristics of the object.
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Suggestions for instruction:
  • Verbally label the objects, pointing out their similarities and differences. For example, what makes a chair a chair? A chair can be hard and a chair can be soft but the function of the chair is to provide the user with a place to sit.
  • Challenge the student to classify other items with similar characteristics. Provide literacy opportunities by pairing the objects with print/braille whenever possible in addition to the verbal labels.

Shapes 

(square, circle, triangle, rectangle, cylinder, cube, curve, oval, etc.) 
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​Children need to first learn about three-dimensional objects and then once the student has an understanding of 3D objects, they can begin to transfer the skill to two-dimensional objects. All students will need this understanding, but it is imperative for future braille readers to have this foundational understanding in order to prepare them for identifying tactual graphics which is more abstract.
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​Suggestions for instruction:
  • Shape inset puzzles, shape sorter toys and exploration of 3D shape models are a natural way to introduce shapes.
  • As the student touches the shape, verbally label the shape for the student.
  • Assist the student in tracing around the perimeter of the shape, pointing out the smooth edges or corners and sides. Incorporate literacy opportunities by placing the name of the shape on the object or puzzle piece and be sure to point out the print or braille word to the student.
  • Locate and explore shapes in play as well as in the environment. Encourage the student to search for and compare similarities and differences in shapes.
  • Help the student trace the outside of objects and compare to shape models to help them make the connections (e.g., the box of crayons is the shape of a rectangle, the lunch tray is also a rectangle, etc.)
  • Provide many opportunities with a variety of objects to help the child transfer their knowledge and understanding that shapes are all around them.

Once the student is able to identify 3D shapes, create 2D representations of the shape and encourage the student to match the 3D shape to the 2D shape as well as the 2D shape to a matching 2D shape.

Sizes

(ex. big, little, tall, short, thick, thin, wide, narrow, etc.) 
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​Suggestions for instruction:
  • Practice learning about sizes by discussing sizes of objects and materials in the environment.
  • Provide the student with objects in a variety of sizes (ex. travel size items versus full-size items) related to the classroom topic or related to an area of interest.
  • Compare and contrast the size of the items. A classic story to practice size concepts is Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
  • Once students can sort and match shapes, encourage them to place them in order from smallest to biggest, shortest to tallest, thin to thick, etc.

Textures

(ex. rough, smooth, bumpy, soft, hard, furry, sticky, fuzzy, slick, etc.) 
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​Suggestions for instruction:
  • Provide students with many opportunities to explore a wide variety of materials with various textures.
  • Tactile books can be obtained or created to compare textures.
  • Provide a variety of clothes with different textures and compare and contrast them.
  • Identify and sort a variety of textures. 

Body Awareness

(ex. parts, functions & movements)
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​Suggestions for instruction:
  • Families can practice body awareness with little children naturally during bath time and during dressing.
  • ​In the classroom, a fun way for students to practice learning their body parts is by singing songs about body parts and movements. 

Positions & Spatial Relationships

(ex. on, off, in, out, front, back, left, right, up, down, above, below, top, bottom, in front, behind, on top, underneath, next to, beside, through, middle, center, between, here, there, under, over, upside down, right side up, first, last, together, apart, forward, backward, sideways, straight, there, under, etc.)

​According to Fazzi and Petersmeyer (Imagining the possibilities: Creative approaches to orientation and mobility instruction for persons who are visually impaired, AFB Press 2001), “development of spatial awareness helps students understand the placement, arrangement, and spacing of persons or things in relation to one another.” O&M specialists will play an important role in teaching spatial concepts to the student. Spatial awareness concepts apply not only to education but relate directly to travel. Spatial concepts include body awareness and spatial awareness. As with other concepts, direct experiences will help the student learn the concept. Physical experiences will help lay the foundation for development. Once a student has learned the concepts using their own bodies, they can then develop concepts related to models and representations.
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​Suggestions for instruction:
  • Take advantage of opportunities throughout the day to point out the position of materials/objects in the environment. 
  • Create games to encourage the students to place themselves or materials in relation to other items.
  • Encourage the student to demonstrate the concepts on their own bodies, from the student's body to an object, and between two objects. 
  • Encourage activities that will develop the student's body concept such as large movement games that include rolling, crawling, walking backward and sideways, jumping and other movement variations.​

Suggested Materials

Tactile treasures kit
Tactile Treasures Kit, Tactile-Color Edition, available from APH, consists of tactile graphics of thermoformed real objects. This is another great tool for transitioning students from 3D objects to raised line drawings and tactile graphics.
Picture of picture maker
Picture Maker Geometric Textured Shapes, available from APH provides Velcro backed 2D shapes. This is a great transitional and versatile tool to use moving from 3D shapes toward tactual graphics.
Colors & Shapes Game by Trend
Colors and Shapes Lotto Game by Trend is a great shape matching game this is not only good for students with low vision but can easily be adapted with the addition of textures and tactile graphics making materials in order to make it accessible to students who are blind!
Positions lotto game
Positions Lotto Game by Trend is a great position photo matching game that is great for students with low vision who are able to visually discriminate pictures. I like the simple photos on an uncluttered surface!

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