By: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated June 9, 2019

The development of tactual exploration and discrimination skills are necessary for future braille readers. It is also important for students with cognitive disabilities who may not be able to learn formal braille but can learn to discriminate objects by touch to help make sense of their world or to use for communication.

Locate & Explore Objects

One of the first steps in becoming independent and reaching out to tactually explore the world is for students to attempt to reach out and locate objects. The facilitator may need to assist the student in developing an interest in locating objects. One primary way is to not retrieve objects for the student. If the student loses an object, provide a sound source to help the student locate the object, or touch the object to the student, but encourage them to reach for and obtain the object. This is part of the student beginning to understand object permanence. 

Encourage students to:
  • reach for and obtain an object that comes into contact with their body. As stated before, try to involve the student in the process of locating and obtaining objects. Students need to understand that objects continue to exist even when they are not in contact. Tap the toy/object on the tray or floor if it fell on the floor or place the object in touch with the student's arm or leg. 
  • locate partially or fully hidden objects. Help students explore their area and teach them that they can locate partially hidden objects. Play fun hide and seek games by partially hiding the object. If students have difficulty, provide a sound source by the object to help the student locate it.
  • find objects after systematic search (use a search pattern to locate an object). Teach the student to use a pattern to locate materials. For example, starting in the top left-hand corner and working in a zig-zag pattern moving to the right and left and up and down until they locate the object.
  • retrieve object when placed in their usual location. Students should be oriented to the room and be instructed in where materials are kept. Refer to "Labeling System" for suggestions on creating a well-organized area that can assist students in locating materials.
  • explore a variety of objects with both hands. Provide tactually interesting materials to encourage exploration.

The Importance of & Tactile Discrimination Finger Sensitivity ​

When preparing for braille literacy, it is important to develop tactual discrimination skills and finger sensitivity. The development of tactual discrimination skills follows an order from larger to smaller that is similar to the development of the hands and fingers. It begins with using the whole hand to explore objects and progresses to using fingers and fingertips to examine the details of tactile materials. Students with limited sensitivity in their fingers may not be good candidates for braille reading. There are a variety of diagnosis that can cause numbness or reduced sensitivity in the fingers. This will be a factor in determining if a student will be a candidate for formal braille instruction.

Tactual discrimination usually follows the following sequence:
  1.   Three-dimensional forms; 
  2.   flat shapes, such as puzzle pieces; 
  3.   embossed shapes with the entire area raised; 
  4.   raised outline shapes and raised lines; 
  5.   and finally braille letters.

Identify, Compare & Organize Objects

Encourage the student to begin to identify, compare and organize objects and toys they are exploring. Talk to the student about different temperatures, weights, and textures and encourage them to locate identical or similar materials. Draw the student's attention to where toys and materials are located and encourage them to locate the objects and put them away in their correct place. Encourage students to begin identifying and naming objects. Once they are successfully able to identify objects, begin to transfer this skill to embossed shapes, and then outlined shapes.

Developing Tactile Discrimination & Finger Sensitivity

You can help the development of tactual discrimination and finger sensitivity by providing many opportunities throughout the day for the student to tactually discriminate materials and compare similarities and differences, classify, and sort. Many commercially produced classroom classification kits consist of molded plastic figures that all feel the same. These lack the variety of textures of real objects. Instead, use real materials whenever possible. Using real materials that support the current topic make these activities interesting for all students!

Draw the student’s attention to textures and describe the textures. This will help the student become aware of their differences. You can help a student develop finger sensitivity and refine their tactual discrimination skills by providing them with a variety of textures to match, sort and play with and explore. When selecting toys, choose toys that are tactually interesting.  Throughout the activities, provide the student with the language that connects the experience.  See the Objects & Containers section for a list of materials to classify and sort.

Although real materials should always be included in each unit, you may want to purchase commercially available texture sorting materials to complement these activities.
Motor Activities Handout
​Motor Activities to Develop Pre-Braille Skills
You are welcome to print and use this list of motor activities that can help develop tactual skills and pre-braille skills. 

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