Oculomotor Skills

By: Carmen Willings   
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated October 4, 2017
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As part of the Functional Vision Evaluation, it is necessary to assess the students oculomotor skills. The technique used will vary depending on the students cognitive abilities but should include both informal observations and formal assessment of skills.

Fixation

Fixation is the observed ability to direct a gaze and hold an object steadily in view. It is a foundation skill for all oculomotor behaviors. Assess if the student is able to localize by observing if the student is able to locate various size materials on surfaces at near. Assess if the student is able fixate by maintaining focus on faces or materials he is interacting with. To do this, present objects to the student at near and wait briefly until the student attends. Note if the student is able to hold a steady fix for two seconds; is able to maintain a fixation but for less than two seconds; or if they only show an awareness of the object, but do not visually fixate. Repeat the activity by presenting objects at midrange distance between 16 and 30 inches. Finally, informally observe if the student notices toys or other objects from 3 to 10 feet. Note distance, object, size, degree of contrast, lighting, and stationary vs moving. Determine if the student has an eye preference, static or dynamic.

Convergence

Convergence is the ability to maintain fixation on an oncoming object. It is essential to stability of vision, depth perception and binocular vision. Lack of convergence will have a negative influence on reading, copying from board to paper, copying paper to paper, driving and participating in sports and other activities.

Tracking

Tracking is the observed systematic use of the eyes to follow an object. Assess if the student can track, or follow the movements of pets, peers or teachers. Directly assess tracking skills by assessing if the student is able to track horizontal, vertical and diagonal movements. Note if movement or an auditory clue is needed to establish a visual fix prior to tracking. Note if the student is able to smoothly track the object with their eyes as it moves across midline or if the tracking is jerky. Note if the movement is not smooth, particularly when crossing midline or if the student is unable to track at all. Observe alignment problems and where they tend to occur. Note if the student visually tracks with only one eye. Note if he can track while holding his head still or if he needs to move his head to follow the movement of objects.

Eye movement, which allows a student to scan a broad array or follow a moving object, can be observed in activities that require horizontal tracking, such as watching a passing car, fish swimming in a tank, a football soaring through the air, or a moving character in a video game. Tracking is used in reading, copying from board, gross motor activities, and for driving a car. The smoothness of the tracking movement should be noted; some have a jerky tracking movement, while others track irregularly across their midline. Vertical eye movements can be observed as a student follows a bouncing basketball or the direction of a dropped object. The assessment should evaluate whether both eyes move together during tracking activities. Was the student able to maintain fixation throughout? Was fixation lost and regained? Did slowing the rate of movements improve performance? What adaptations improved the student's performance? May need to recommend using a line marker to keep place when reading.

Shift of Gaze

Shift of gaze is the ability to visually fix on an object, shift visual attention to another object, then return to the first object again. Assess the student's ability to shift their gaze between materials presented parallel and non-parallel. The student should be able to shift their gaze in less than 3 seconds. Note if the student has difficulty shifting their gaze in one direction or the other. Note if one eye shifts and the other does not, or if the student loses the object and then regains the object visually. Note if the student consistently ignores the object presented on one side or the other or if the student closes his eyes to shift or shakes head to do so. If the student has difficulty shifting their gaze they may have difficulty reading a line of print and shifting from one line to another. They may also have difficulty copying notes from one source (board or from book) to another.

Scanning

Observe the students eye movements. Note if scanning is brisk, smooth, and thorough. Indicate if any areas are neglected. Assess if the student can scan to look for details within a picture book or textbook. Scanning is used to search for materials or follow the lines along the edge of materials (or scanning a bookshelf for a particular book or examining a painting in an art gallery). It involves horizontal, diagonal, vertical and circular patterns. Note whether the student typically moves both his head and eyes while tracking and scanning.

Possible Implications

• Consult or counsel student about appearance of eye(s)
• Explain null point for nystagmus
• Develop knowledge and understanding of condition/appearance
• Development of social skills
• Address importance of eye contact or facing person talking to
• Teach visual efficiency skills as needed
• Teach compensatory skills as needed
• Frequent visual breaks may be needed 
  
• Refer student for O&M evaluation/services
• Refer student for assistive technology evaluation

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TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC: An Activities Based Curriculum for Teaching Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired
The TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC is a digital pdf available for download. It is designed specifically for fellow itinerant Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI’s), and consists of over 400 activities and topic areas of discussion for instructing students in the Expanded Core Curriculum. The activities are age-neutral and multi-sensory and therefore can meet the needs of the broad range of students served on an itinerant caseload serving. The activities can be individualized to the students various learning modalities and scaffold in order to challenge students but ensure success. Select those activities that align with the student’s learning objects based on the student’s unique visual needs and academic and developmental level. In addition to the core activity areas, each of the 32 Thematic Units incorporates additional unique ECC concepts and skills providing you with a years’ worth of activities. These units are cyclical and can be used repeatedly to help students build on prior knowledge and develop a deeper understanding of concepts. Each unit includes suggestions for activity adaptation associated with the unit. These include lists of objects, possible community-based experiences, environmental print, poems, children & young reader books, children's songs, pop culture songs, movies, and websites.


In addition to the book, the following two supplements are included:
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Concept Checklist
·      TVI’s Guide to the ECC Activities Checklist


For complete product details and additional images, visit the TVI's Guide product page.


TVI's Guide to the ECC Product details
·      Digital pdf download: 346 pages (11 pt font)
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets: TVI's Guide to the ECC Grab and Go Supplements
The Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheets is a Grab and Go supplement to the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC. This workbook is a pdf download that can be printed on demand for use with students. It contains five different types of worksheets for developing visual motor skills and near magnifier fluency skills particularly with the use of a video magnifier. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to each of the 32 ECC Thematic units. The worksheets, along with a list of environmental print for each thematic unit, are designed to help students refine their visual motor skills while reinforcing ECC concepts presented in the thematic units.  


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Product Page.


Visual Efficiency & Near Magnifier Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 210 pages
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Worksheets: A TVI’s Guide to Teaching the ECC Grab & go Supplement
The Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency and Maintenance Grab and Go ECC worksheet packet is a print on demand workbook that contains worksheets in print and simulated braille to use for data collection. Present the student with a hard braille copy and use the worksheets to document accuracy and fluency in reading braille. As a companion to the TVI’s Guide to the ECC, the worksheets correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. These word lists and sentences will help the student refine their keyboarding or braille reading skills while bridging ECC concepts presented in the thematic units. Although the lists and passages can be produced using a manual braillewriter, you may also copy and paste the passages into any braille translation software for quick production on an embosser. They may also be entered into a typing program such as APH’s Talking Typer to build keyboarding fluency.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency & Maintenance Product Page


Thematic Keyboarding & Braille Fluency Worksheet Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 338-page print and simulated braille worksheets
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists: Grab & Go ECC Supplement
The Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Grab and Go ECC supplement is a 446 page pdf downloadable print on demand workbook that includes 2940 vocabulary card on 3 1/2" x 2" templates divided by each of the 32 Thematic Units along with a checklist of each unit words in print and simulated braille. As a companion to the TVI's Guide to the ECC, the vocabulary cards correspond to the ECC Thematic activities presented in the curriculum guide. 


Additional Use:
Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments can have a extremely varied caseloads. It is possible to go several years without having a student on your caseload who requires braille instruction. Like other skills, if you do not practice your braille regularly, it is easy to lose those skills. Use these checklists and cards to maintain your braille skills. Fold the checklist along the line dividing the print from the braille. Choose to either read the print and produce the word in braille using a braillewriter or read the simulated braille and decode it. Finally, these vocabulary cards and checklists may be used with family members or peers who are interested in learning and practicing the braille code.


For complete product details and additional images, visit the Thematic Vocabulary Cards & Checklists Product Page


Thematic Vocabulary Cards and Checklists Details:
·      Digital pdf download: 446-page print on demand resource
·      Publisher: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments
·      Author: Carmen Willings
·      Language: English


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Lotto Cards
The LOTTO Cards Grab and Go Supplement includes 37 theme related unit cards along with activity suggestions that support activities within the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC.


On My Way File Folder Cards
Print and use these cards to represent locations the student may visit that are related to the current thematic unit. Use these with the On My Way File Folder Game outlined in the TVI's Guide to Teaching the ECC p. 27.

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