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Practice Perspectives

Children Who Are Deaf-Blind - November 2007

Provides details about the population of children who are deaf-blind, including the classification of vision and hearing loss, the types of additional disabilities that may be present, and the causes of deafblindness.

Harmonious Interactions - June 2007

Describes the importance of teaching families and educators the techniques to create and maintain high-quality interactions with children who are deaf-blind. Based on research and training activities conducted by Marleen Janssen, Marianne Riksen-Walraven, Jan van Dijk, and Bernadette van den Tillaart.

Path to Symbolism - August 2008

This publication describes the importance of early communication experiences for the development of symbolic communication in children who are deaf-blind. The publication is based on research and review articles by Susan Bruce (Boston College) and colleagues.

Transition - January 2009

This publication describes the importance of in-depth transition planning to meet the unique needs of children and youth who are deaf-blind and the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as measured by Indicator 13.

Teaching Prelinguistic Communication - October 2009

This publication describes the findings of a study on the use of adapted prelinguistic milieu teaching (PMT) for children who are deaf-blind. In adapted PMT, an instructor, working one-on-one with a child, uses a variety of strategies to teach and encourage children to use gestures and vocalizations to communicate intentionally.

Authentic Assessment - July 2010

This publication describes a comprehensive approach to assessment called authentic assessment, which emphasizes gathering information about children in their everyday environments during normal activities. It is adapted from a manual called Assessing Communication and Learning in Young Children Who Are Deafblind or Who Have Multiple Disabilities.

College Students Who Are Deaf-Blind - February 2011

This publication summarizes a research study on the experiences of 11 college students who are deaf-blind and provides suggestions for ways to support college students with deaf-blindness.

Universal Design For Learning - August 2011

This issue of Practice Perspectives describes the basics of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how it applies to students who are deaf-blind.  The information is intended to help teachers, parents, interveners, and individuals with deaf-blindness better understand UDL so that they can actively participate in the development of UDL practices.