Blind News Digest # 1167
Bill McGarry
Issue # 1167
Wednesday, October 25, 1995
Today's Topics:
******
Visually Impaired Persons Newsletter Vol. 11 No. 2
******
To subscribe to the Blind News Digest mailing list or have your
thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:
UUCP: uunet!bunker!wtm
INTERNET: w...@bunker.shel.isc-br.com
BITNET: blin...@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet: The Handicap News BBS (141/420) 1-203-926-6168
(300 - 28,800 baud, 24 hours)
Bill McGarry (Moderator)
(203) 926-6187
------
Subject: Visually Impaired Persons Newsletter Vol. 11 No. 2
From: rob...@teleport.com (Robert Jaquiss)
Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access (503) 220-1016
VIP NEWSLETTER Volume 11 Number 2
published by the BLIND CHILDRENS FUND
2875 NORTHWIND DRIVE, SUITE 211, EAST LANSING, MI 48823-5040
TEL: (517) 333-1725 FAX: (517) 333-1730
LEARNING OBJECT CONCEPT AND PERMANENCE IN BLIND INFANTS
By Lilli Nielsen
Refsnaesskolen, Kalundborg, Denmark
1. THEORIES ON OBJECT CONCEPT CONCERNING SIGHTED AND BLIND INFANTS.
This paper does not deal with how to assess whether or not a blind
child has achieved object concept or object permanence. My subject
is merely some considerations on what object concept is for the
blind infant and how he or she learns this. While reading and
hearing about children achieving knowledge about objects, this is
either referred to as object constancy, object perception, object
concept or object permanence. Often I experience bewilderment
about what the author or presenter really means by his or her
statements. Maybe this is due to my poor English or maybe the
translation to Danish is difficult, making the terms confusing,
especially when related to blind children.
The literature gives several explanations on what object concept
and object permanence mean. The very most of these explanations
are based on observations of sighted infants. Psycho- analysts
tell us that the mother is the first object that the child
perceives. However, if a mother can be called an object, then the
infant can also be called an object. Perhaps, then the first
object the infant perceives is him or herself; or rather parts of
himself, namely his hands, mouth and maybe his feet. Piaget
explains object concept as experience of the external world. He
states that the child gradually becomes more and more interested in
surrounding objects and also becomes curious about where an object
goes when the child lets go of it. Winnicot states that the infant
chooses one particular object to use as a transition object to
which experiences of all other objects are related.
Perhaps the truth is a mixture of the three theories. In nearly
all literature concerning infancy, great importance is placed on
the relationship between mother and infant, on the infants need for
physical contact with the mother. However, this literature deals
with sighted infants who, because of their ability to see, also see
things other than the mother.
Maybe the physical contact with the mother becomes special because
of the sight of and physical contact with other objects has a
quality other than sight or touch of the mother, and because the
infant has opportunities to compare the mother object with other
objects seen or touched. Blind infants cannot be compared with
sighted infants in this respect. If immediately following birth,
the blind infant has opportunities to experience tactile and
auditory feedback, he will be able to compare these auditory
experiences, different from that received from objects.
The blind infant would probably also experience his mother as a
specific object by comparing her with other objects. If this
statement is true, it becomes extremely important that early
intervention also includes ENVIRONMENTAL intervention, that is ,
that advice is given not only concerning physical contact and early
communication, but also concerning the environment that should be
established within the infants reach. Let us consider what is
object concept and object permanence for a blind child. In my
opinion we must distinguish between object concept and object
permanence. Further, the problem of learning object concept and
object permanence should be considered from the blind infants point
of view rather than that of a sighted infant.
2. ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECT PERCEPTION IN BLIND INFANTS
Since achievement of object perception is crucial for development
of Self-Identification, it is considered important to observe and
learn how a blind infant achieves object perception. The term
object perception includes:
learning the existence of objects
learning object concept
learning object perception
Learning the existence of objects
At first the blind infant has no concept of the existence of
objects and consequently no concept of non-existence of objects.
The pre-requisites that the blind infant must have for learning the
existence of objects are that he is able to move, and, that objects
are available within his reach. Nevertheless, three ingredients
seem to be important for the blind infant while learning the
existence of objects, namely conscious movements, repetition and
time.
From Unintentional to Intentional Movements
Firstly, the infant must have opportunity to learn to perform
movements intentionally. In the beginning, the infants movements
are unintentional, but gradually he becomes aware that a certain
movement gives a certain tactile or auditory feedback. Thus it
becomes meaningful for the infant to perform the movements,
although the infant still does not recognize the feedback he
achieves as representing objects. It is important that the infant
performs the movements without assistance from anyone. If you move
a childs hand, the decision regarding the movement comes from your
brain. When the infant performs an intentional movement, the
decision comes from his brain. What the infant needs is to become
conscious of how to perform certain movements and so develop his
kinaesthetic sense. The kinaesthetic sense can only be developed
from the movement he performs - not from you.
Repetition
Secondly, the infant must have opportunity to repeat his
activity. That enables him to confirm that what he has experienced
is really there. By repeating the same movement and again making
physical contact with a grabable object, he will commence learning
to grasp. At the stage of grasping and letting go the repetition
is crucial in establishing awareness of the position of the object
giving feedback.
Time
Thirdly, it is crucial that the infant has opportunities to repeat
the performance immediately. In my research on spatial relations
in 20 congenitally blind infants (Nielsen, 1989) 19 of the 20
infants performed repetition with intervals of 1-2 seconds. Also
Willatts (1989) stresses the importance of repetition. Immediate
repetition enables the infant to remember the movement as well as
the feedback. Thus, immediate repetition reinforces the
recognition of the qualities of the feedback so that development of
integration of the information gained through sensory modalities is
facilitated. However, it is the movement that the infant
remembers. The specific movement becomes part of the object - the
object is still not perceived as an object by the infant, but
rather the infant learns that a specific movement results in a
certain tactile or auditory experience. Then the infant starts to
experiment with making different movements in one specific
direction, and discovers that he will gain tactile and/or auditory
responses, although perhaps the responses may be somewhat different
from others recently experienced. But still, the movement is the most
important part of the experience. Only gradually does the object
itself become more important than the movement
used, or perhaps it is that the movement is performed so many times
that it becomes automatic. Although pushing or grasping and letting go of a
certain object at a certain position is not enough
to achieve object concept, these activities are nevertheless crucial for
further development. If the infant does not have the opportunity
to follow the sequence just described, his learning of the existence
of objects will be delayed. He may begin to perform
some kind of stereotyped behavior, or become passive. Thus,
intentional movements and immediate repetition
enable the infant to process the information of the existence of objects
and prepares him for learning object concept.
Learning object concept
What do we actually mean when talking about object concept in blind
infants? Is it object concept when the infant has learnt that
there is something he can touch or grasp? Or is it object concept
when the blind child can distinguish one object from another one?
Or is it object concept when the child knows what the object can be
used for? Or knows what the object is called? By the way, is
object concept demonstrated by the child having learned that an
object is called this or that? Clearly, to learn object concept is
a complicated matter for the blind child. In my opinion, the term
object concept includes learning about an objects shape, size,
weight, structure of surface, auditory qualities, tactile
differences, (whether it is made of soft or hard material, whether
it is cold or warm or has a moderate temperature, whether it is
grabable, pushable, moveable or stationary). Included is also
learning to use objects for certain purposes and to name the
objects. How does a blind infant learn all this? When movement
has become a lesser dominating aspect of the experience of handling
objects, the infant will choose one of the available objects, and
pay so much attention to that one object that the learning
object concept can start. In my opinion, this occurs in three
steps, here referred to as first, second and third degree.
The first degree includes:
i) integration of the information gained through the
kinaesthetic-tactile, kinaesthetic- auditory
and kinaesthetic-olfactory sensory modalities.
ii) learning the position of several objects, and
iii) identifying himself as the producer of object-based sounds.
Some blind infants commence by paying attention to the auditory
quality of the object. Immediate repetition of making sounds with
one, two or three of the available objects establishes integration
of the information gained through the kinaesthetic and auditory
sensory modalities. When the infant is familiar with experiencing
these sounds, he is ready to pay attention to the tactile qualities
of the object, and so establish integration of the information
gained through the kinaesthetic, auditory and tactile sensory
modalities. Other blind infants commence by paying attention to
the tactile qualities of one, two or three of the available
objects. While doing this, they do not listen to the
simultaneously produced sounds. Only when the tactile experiences
have become so familiar that the integration of the kinaesthetic
and tactile information has been established will they begin to pay
attention to the auditory qualities of the objects in question.
Gradually the infant becomes able to distinguish between feedback
from different directions, and so learns the position of the
objects. Understanding of
the position of a certain object is related to the movement
performed rather than to any other
object or to the background. That is, the first understanding of
the position of a certain object
is based on comprehension of the movement necessary to gain hold of
the object, and the
pleasure that the infant experiences while being active with the
object (Nielsen, 1992).
Learning the position of objects is greatly facilitated if the
infant has the opportunity to
identify himself as the producer of object-based sounds. The best
condition for this learning
is an environment that eliminates all sounds other than those
produced by the infant. Also, it
is crucial for the infant to have the opportunity to repeat
activities immediately, and to take
both short breaks of 1-2 seconds and longer breaks of maybe 1-2
minutes between being
active. Both immediate repetitions and longer breaks help the
infant to store information and
to ponder what he has done.
The second degree includes:
i)comparing different ways of handling one object,
ii)comparing the handling of two or more objects in the same way, and
iii)comparing objects, and associating the experience of
one object to the experience of another one, and especially
to a preferred object.
Having become familiar with the position of several objects, the
infant is ready to commence handling just one object, using
different movements, and so compare feedback resulting from those
different movements. By experimenting with different ways of
handling one object, the infant learns about the tactile and
auditory qualities of that object, the shape of it as well as the
weight and temperature of it. In this way, the infant will
commence to compare his various movements in relation to a
particular object and so gradually comprehend that it is the same
object, however he manipulates it.
However, it is still important for the infant to immediately repeat
the movement. In my opinion, it is the immediate repetition that
helps the blind infant to understand that he is handling the same
object.
The next step is to compare one object with another one. While
still developing the integration of information gained through the
sensory modalities, the infant commences to compare the auditory
and tactile qualities of two or more objects. Because only one
object becomes the specific one to which others are compared,
comparisons of the details of objects are crucial in establishing
object concept. Comparisons are facilitated if the objects to be
compared have some tactile or auditory similarities rather than
being totally different from each other (Nielsen, 1989). When the
infant begins to compare two or three objects, he will most often
choose just one of them as the preferred object. This object then
becomes a transition object (Winnicot, 1980); that is, the infant
returns to activity with this transition object whenever he has
interacted with another object. This is how the infant learns
about the relationship between objects. When several objects have
been compared to the preferred object, the infant will start to
link one activity with another, and so play sequence games, that
is to repeatedly perform a series of activities involving two or
more objects. If too few
objects are within reach, it will be hard for the infant to learn
that an object is part of the
surrounding as well as learn that several objects can be part of
different sequence games.
Performing comparisons immediately facilitates the learning of
object concept, and establishes
a store of information which, together with the ability to
recognize, remember and imagine,
enables the infant to relate an experience of a new object to
another experience already
stored.
The third degree includes:
i) using objects for a certain purpose, and
ii) learning the names of objects.
Learning to use objects for certain purposes is based on the infant
having performed activities such as sucking and biting objects,
shaking objects, pushing objects to and fro, banging objects
against the floor or a table, banging objects against each other,
and soon. From performing such activities, he discovers that some
objects are more enjoyable to mouth than others, that some are
useful for shaking actives, while others do not give any specific
sound when shaken, that some objects are especially funny for
banging games and so on.
Likewise, he learns that certain objects are used for certain
activities, that a cup can be used for drinking, a spoon for
eating, a toothbrush for brushing teeth. Gradually, he learns to
understand the names of such objects. This means that he has
achieved object concept to the third degree where such objects are
concerned, but it does not mean that he knows what all objects can
be used for. What he has achieved object concept to the third
degree where such objects are concerned, but it does not mean that
he knows what all objects can be used for. What he has achieved is
knowing that certain objects are mostly used for a certain purpose
and that they have names. However, he still has to learn more
objectbased sequential activities, such as putting the right end of
the spoon or toothbrush into his mouth, replacing the spoon on the
plate, and returning a cup right way up when wanting more milk.
Furthermore, he has to learn to name objects, and he has to learn
that some objects can be separated, some objects can be put into
other objects and that some objects can be joined
together to construct another object.
So how do we know when a blind child has achieved object concept?
If, for example, a bunch of four keys is hanging within reach while
he is still an infant, this object will probably be one of the
first thing the infant can push, producing a sound. Later on it
may be an object he can grasp. Next, maybe he will commence to
search for its interesting tactile qualities, and later still,
manipulate it with the purpose of altering the shape or
experimenting with the number of keys. Next he may use the keys
as a rattle, and for banging games. Next, he will learn to name
the keys, and maybe to put them in a box or a pocket. There is a
long way to go before the child will be able to try the keys for
different doors and at last achieve the full concept of the object
called a key. Object concept of the first and second degree
concerning objects within reach can be achieved as early as the age
of four to six months. If not achieved by the age of 8 months, the
infant must be considered delayed. Depending on the first two
degrees having been established, the third degree can probable be
achieved during the following 6-15 months. More investigations are
necessary to verify this
suggestion.
LEARNING OBJECT PERMANENCE
How does a blind child learn that objects still exist somewhere
when they are not within reach? In my opinion, object permanence
is very difficult to achieve for the blind child-more difficult
than achieving object concept.. Without having achieved object
concept, the infant will not show any intention of learning object
permanence. Even if he has achieved some object concept, he may
think that the world only contains the few objects that he can find
within reach, and he may also consider objects to be non-existent
if he cannot find them within reach. Since this would cause delay
in his development, it is considered necessary to discuss how the
blind infant learns objects permanence, and how this learning can
be facilitated. While learning object concept, the infant probably
achieves some important pre- requisite for object permanence.
Firstly, the child learns that the object he repeatedly handles is
the same particular object - not a copy of it or another one.
Sequence games are probably another pre-requisite for establishing
object permanence because they reinforce the infants
ability to remember the position of objects, and enable him to
reach for a particular object.
However, that does not mean that the blind infant also understands
object permanence. But by discovering that an object can be used
for enjoyable activities, the infant may learn to search for that
object. Similarly, the need for repetition may encourage the infant
to search for an object even if the object has been moved from the
familiar position. Rogers and Puchalski (1988) state that blind
infants must rely on spatial memory to know where to search. In a
research on 20 visually impaired infants, the authors found that
the infants achieved object permanence 8-12 months later than
sighted infants. This only serves to underline the importance of
research to learn how blind infants achieve object permanence, and
to verify whether this achievement can indeed be facilitated by
means of certain environmental intervention.
REFERENCES
Nielsen, L. (1989) Spatial Relations in Congenitally Blind Infants.
Refsnaesskolen, Kalundborg, Denmark.
Nielsen, L. (1992) Space and Self. SIKON Copenhagen, Denmark.
Denmark.
Roger, S.J.& Puchalski, C.B. (1988) Development of Object Permanence in
Visually Impaired Infants. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness. April
Willatts, P. (1989) Development of Problem-Solving in Infancy.
In: Infant Development. (Ed. Slater,A & Bremner, G)
Laurence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, London.
Winnicot, D.V. (1980) Playing and Reality. Penguin Books.
WHATS NEW ????
TACTILE SYMBOL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
Custom tactile symbols are now available from the Blind Childrens
Fund Resource Center.
The symbols are encoded in one of several shapes, which reflect
different meaning categories:
circle = people
heart = emotions
oval = objects
hexagon = function words/miscellaneous
square = locations
triangle = actions
diamond = time , days of the week, months and holidays.
The background shape is typically between 2-3 inches wide and 1-1/2 inches tall.
Tactile Symbols are useful for children and young adults who are
totally blind, deaf/blind or so visually impaired that they cannot
interpret the written word or pictures and are not Braille
literate. Tactile symbols can be used for:
1. Choice making
2. Expressing needs and desires
3. Teaching time concepts
4. Describing meaningful events and people
5. Marking locations in the childs environment.
Symbols are $5.00 each
Sequence Trays are available for $50.00
Storage Trays are available for $30.00
SOFTWARE FOR SAM
The Blind Childrens Fund Resource Center can also provide you with
two new software programs to be used with blind, visually impaired,
and multi-impaired children.
LETTER FIND
Letter Find runs under Microsoft windows and uses multimedia sound
systems to teach the alphabet and braille to visually impaired,
blind, and cognitively delayed children. Adapted overlays for the
Intellikeys keyboard from Intellitools for the visually impaired
and blind are also available. Price $55.00 (Demo Version
available for $10)
WOLF EDIT
Wolf Edit allows the user to easily enter customized vocabularies
in Wolf Voca, and augmentative communication device from AdamLab.
Wolf Edit runs under Microsoft Windows.
For further information about Letter Find, WolfEdit or the Tactile
Symbols, kindly contact:
Blind Childrens Fund
Resource Center
2971 53rd Street SE
Auburn, WA 98092-8210
(206) 735-6350
ON OUR BOOKSHELF
I Can Tell By Touching by Carolyn B. Otto
Fur is warm and silky the gravel path is crunchy pine needles are
sharp and sticky and a puppys kiss is very wet! How can you tell?
By touching!
Simple, rhythmic text explores the concept of touching in terms a
very young child can understand.
Available from Blind Childrens Fund Softcover $5.00
JEREMYS DREIDEL by Ellie Gellman
Jeremy read the sign that said Sign Up For Hannukah Craft Classes!
and signed up. When he decides to make a dreidel, a spinning top
used during the Jewish celebration of Hannukah, the other members
of the craft class become intrigued with the raised dots he places
on his dreidel. JEREMYS DREIDEL not only tells the reason for
Jeremys decision to use Braille on his dreidel, but also gives
directions for making four different versions of dreidels,
directions for playing the game of dreidel, and a short description
of Braille.
Available from the Blind Childrens Fund Softcover $6.00
VIP NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 11 NUMBER 2
JUNE, 1995
THE VIP NEWSLETTER
(ISSN NO.0738-7091) IS
PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY
THE BLIND CHILDRENS FUND
EDITORIAL OFFICES:
2875 NORTHWIND DRIVE SUITE 211
EAST LANSING, MI 48823-5040
Tel. (517) 333-1725 FAX: 333-1730
EDITOR: SHERRY RAYNOR
ASSISTANT: YALE COHEN
Contributions, including business and personal news, information
about parent activities and membership, or questions to the editor
may be submitted to:
VIP Editor, 2875 Northwind Drive,
Suite 211, East Lansing, MI 48823-5040.
Tel. (517) 333-1725 Fax (517) 333-1730
THE BFC NEEDS YOUR HELP!
Your contributions play an important role in supporting the many
programs and services provided by the Blind Childrens Fund.
I want to help blind children learn to live in a world they cannot see.
Enclosed is my tax deductable contribution of $ .
Name:
Address:
Please make your check payable to the Blind Childrens Fund
and mail to 2875 Northwind Drive Suite 211, East Lansing,
MI, 48823-5040
--
rob...@teleport.COM Public Access User --- Not affiliated with Teleport
Public Access UNIX and Internet at (503) 220-1016 (2400-14400, N81)
------
******
End of Issue # 1167 of the Blind News Digest
******