speech therapy activities for blind child

Karen Levin, Ph.D Speech Therapist, Johannesburg

This is an animal friendly practice. People who are allergic to animals OR who do not like to be around animals are unfortunately not able to attend this practice! Apologies to those who are excluded.

​Contact Us:

083 264 1697, [email protected], 25 zonda avenue,, victory park,, johannesburg 2195, south africa​, karen levin, phd, speech-language therapist and audiologist, johannesburg, south africa.

This is an animal-friendly practice. I cannot acccomodate those who do not want to be in the presence of animals or who are allergic. Apologies to those who are excluded.

Speech therapy and blindness

Most blind or visually impaired people develop perfectly adequate speech and language skills! Learning is different, perhaps slower, and accessing the world to learn is more challenging. However, just as all children are at risk of communication impairments, so too are blind and visually impaired children.

Not much is known about how blind or visually impaired children develop speech and language.

I was asked, many moons ago, to develop and teach a course to speech-language therapy students on what was known then as "multiple handicaps". Few therapists knew how to work with blind or visually impaired people or with people who were blind/visually impaired and lived with other impairments, and at that stage there were no university programs in South Africa that addressed this area.  Particularly challenging for the speech-language therapist is therapy for people who are deafblind or people who have severe physical impairments and sensory impairments, such as people with cerebral palsy and deafblindness. I was a little fazed (to put it mildly) by having the responsibility of introducing this course at a university level. I developed the course based on my clinical experience and coupled it with a wide range of sources of information.  Despite the challenges, the course was developed over time, and intervention for individuals who are blind/visually impaired and those who are blind with other impairments is taught in most university programmes in South Africa today.

However, despite the fact that speech therapists know about speech and language development and learning,  almost nothing is written on how to carry out  speech-language intervention with people who are visually-impaired, blind, or have cerebral visual impairments  - when I first taught the course in about 1999 there was very little literature, and that is true still today.

A bit about blindness and visual impairment

Most people who are  visually impaired have some degree of sight. But there are some people who have absolutely no sight whatsoever.

What causes blindness or visual impairment? Some people's visual problems are a result of some condition that affects the eyes themselves; others have visual problems because the neural tracts that take the information from the eyes to the brain are damaged - this is what is called CVI (cerebral visual blindness) . The information on this page relates to all levels of visual impairment, but there are some very special things that can be done with people who have CVI. This information is not included on this page.

Like all children, blind or visually impaired children can have a range of associated problems such as language impairments, childhood apraxia of speech, cleft lip and/or palate, learning disorders, or intellectual disorders. They can also have hearing losses. They can have Down's Syndrome or any other syndrome that is associated with, or not associated with, blindness. 

Blindness or visual impairment can be acquired such as as a result of facial or head injuries from a car accident, or from a disease such as cancer of the eye or complications of diabetes.

Children who are born prematurely are at risk of developing Retinopathy of Prematurity. Abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina. ROP can also develop in premmies from receiving too much oxygen or developing infections.  

There can be genetic reasons for visual impairment.

Language is critically important for individuals who are blind or visually impaired.

It is really a whole lot easier for blind or visually impaired people to cope in the world if they can use language to mediate their learning and to negotiate the world . We use language to tell the child about what is in the world. We use language to explain the environment to blind children. We use language to tell the child about our minds - they cannot read our facial expressions, and cannot work out context sometimes because they cannot see it.

It is difficult for low-vision, CVI, or blind children to learn about things they cannot see or touch. So talk to them, and let them learn through touch and hearing.

The child will not associate barking with a dog unless someone tells him it's a dog.

Here is a doggie. He is barking.

He will not know that the thing he picks up while sitting on the grass is a stick. 

Here is a stick. Feel it.

He might not know that the noise of the car engine comes from a car if he cannot see the car.

Can you hear the car?

The child needs to learn to get around in the space that he cannot see so we use language to help

Put your right hand out. Can you feel the door? Okay, Walk a little to the left and you will

                                                                                 get to the handle. There you go!

We need to help blind/visually impaired young children to be precocious language learners.

We have to teach very young blind/visually impaired children as much language as early as possible . i start to teach children under the age of 3 years of age 'left' and 'right' and words about space and movement (e.g.  here, over there, higher up, closer to you, far away, three steps more, near your elbow, etc. ) so that we can use language to help them to get around., language and speech development children with visual impairments, speech production of blind and/or visually impaired children ..

Many children who are blind or have visual impairments present with speech sound disorders. For example, they continue to muddle up 'f 'and' th' for a long time. However, in my experience - I don't have much literature to guide me - most children who are blind learn all their speech sounds very well and easily if their cognition is intact and if their ears hear perfectly. I am not sure how much vision plays a part in learning speech sounds. I don't think much - after all, most speech sounds are not visible! That is why it is so very hard to lip read.

The problem is that many children with visual impairments have other problems too -and it seems that these other problems interfere with learning speech sounds. So, for me, the main issue in speech sound production is coming up with ways to teach sound production that do not depend on the child looking at how and where sounds are made, but rather by  facilitating the learning of speech sounds through feeling and hearing the sounds, and by listening to what to do from very carefully worded instructions.

Language impairments and visual impairments

There are basically two approaches to looking at the development of language in blind or visually impaired children: one is to compare their learning to that of typically developing sighted children. By doing this, we create what we call a 'deficit' model - we claim that in the absence of vision, there is a deficit which must impact learning. It's not a good approach because it locates the problem in the individual and ignores the role of everything else the child encounters in the world which may contribute to the problem.

The other way to consider the language development of blind or visually impaired children  is a 'difference' model  which means that that we understand and acknowledge that the children learn in a different way. The route that they take to learning is different; the behaviours that they demonstrate are different; and sometimes their ways of speaking are different. We have to be very sensitive to the behaviours of the child or we will under-estimate their skills. For example, blind children may repeat what we have said (echolalia) a lot - is it a problem? Some people say so and work to STOP the children from using echolalia.  Others disagree and point out that blind children use imitation as a means of communicating and to work with language. Similarly, blind children may use vocalizations and tactile handling where sighted children use gestures - the behaviours achieve the same goals in different ways. 

But does 'different' just mean that they will learn in a different way with the same end-process competencies as sighted children? I am not sure!

AAC and blind/visually impaired children

Many children who are blind/visually impaired  experience very significant speech and/or language problems that make it very difficult for them to learn language or to communicate with others. Speech therapists use what we call "alternative and augmentative communication" with people with such difficulties. It can be difficult to provide blind or visually impaired people with AAC but it is not impossible! There are all kinds of things that we can do. Please go to my AAC page.

Understanding how blind/visually impaired babies learn and what to do with a blind baby in the first year of life

Make the world an auditory and tactile one, with a bit of smell too.

Immediately after birth, babies are highly alert. They focus their eyes as far as the distance from their faces to their mom's faces when they are held in the crook of the mom's arms. They look intently at the mom. It is this very, very early eye contact in the first hours after birth that helps to form that bond between the baby and the mom. We hear moms greeting their babies while looking into their eyes.

Hello baby. Look at you. Welcome to the world.

We also know that parents and grandparents comment on the colour of a newborn baby's eyes, which most often is not the colour that they will be when they grow up, but they are commented on nonetheless.

Hence, this early visual contact is important to the mom and others in the baby's life.

We know that the first thing that babies respond to visually is a face. In experiments where babies are shown various shapes, it is well known that they choose to look at ovals more than any other shape. They also like to look more at ovals that have some resemblance to a face than ovals with other shapes in them.  So, babies seem pre-wired to look at faces. 

Blind/visually impaired babies can't. So what do we do to help them to connect?

Use the auditory: We have to encourage them to respond to voices. Talk to the baby all the time. Blind/visually impaired babies cannot see you walk into the room, so you need to alert them to the fact that you are approaching them. They need to hear you open the door, they need to hear your footsteps and they need to hear your voice. You don't have to "stomp" around, but be very aware of making your presence known.

Use the tactile : And we have to let them touch our faces, right from the start. They cannot do it themselves ... a newborn cannot reach up and stroke a face...but the mom can take the baby's hand and run it over her face.

Some blind babies need a very small and distinct tactile sign for recognition, so let the baby touch - or take the baby's hand to touch - something distinctive about a person such as granny's ring, grandpa's beard, big sister's hair. That way, they learn to recognise people.

Use smell: Blind/visually impaired babies also learn to use smell for recognition, so don't use a different perfume every time...try to 'smell consistent'.  You do not need to use perfume - babies learn the smell of people.

Babies who are blind/visually impaired have to be encouraged to move in response to tactile and auditory stimuli. 

Typically developing children start to lift their heads up and a little later, turn their heads, in response to auditory and visual stimuli. Blind/visually impaired babies sometimes do not lift their heads up because there is nothing in their visual field to respond to.

Blind/visually impaired babies have to be encouraged to lift their heads in response to auditory stimuli. Bring things that make a noise near the baby while the baby is on its tummy. Make a noise with something on the right, then something on the left, then something in front... the baby will learn to turn to the source of sound he or she is rewarded for doing so (a sighted child's reward is seeing what they were looking for) - and the reward is making the sound again and providing a social response like "yes, it's here". Then do some more  sound-seeking - make a noise with something on the left, wait for a seeking behaviour and give a reward, and then make a noise with  something in front. Keep doing this to encourage the baby to lift his or her head in response to a noise.

Later, at around 6 to 9 months, the baby may start to reach for the source of the noise - so encourage this. You can help the baby by taking his or her arm to reach.

Blind/visually impaired  babies generally do not explore the environment because they cannot see what there is to explore, so you need to take them to explore.

They cannot see the edge of the room, so you need to take them there - pick them up, hold out their hand, and walk towards the wall, then put the baby's hand on the wall. Help them to feel all around the cot. They don't know that there are barriers all around or that they are lying in a rectangular shaped bed. Start to use "orientation and mobility" principles from under a year of age. Use language to describe the environment. Don't underestimate how much babies get to understand under one year of age. Put different kinds of carpet on the floor or put masking tape along the edge of doorways so they can feel where they are as they start to crawl around. 

Blind/visually impaired  babies may have delayed physical development such as sitting later than sighted babies.

You can encourage this development. Please consult with a physiotherapist if your child's physical development is delayed.

Don't be scared to put your child in a variety of positions throughout the day -  on his tummy, on the floor, in his cot, in a safe baby chair, and in a high chair safely (strapped and always in your sight). 

Encourage movement using tactile, auditory and olfactory sensory input. He or she will learn to reach out for things and will explore things.

At around 6 months of age, typically developing babies sit, and then use their hands. They reach out for things. They hold them in their hands. Then they start to move them from one hand to another. Then they put them in their mouths. They look at the objects. Then they start to explore them.

This is what you need to encourage the blind/visually impaired baby to do - but you need to help. The blind/visually impaired baby needs to be attracted to things so make them tactile. A sighted baby looks at a range of things and chooses which one to go for. The blind/visually impaired baby needs the choice too. So give him or her a variety of toys, placed close to him or her, or touching.

A wrap around mat is useful. This is a u-shaped mat that you can make out of carboard, carpeting, or thick plastic. The child sits in the U, so that there is a strip on his left, on his right and in front of him. You can attach toys with velcro or they can be placed on the mat.  The reason for using the mat is that the child may feel the mat and will then know that there are toys all around him because you have taught him that by using the mat.  When you first start using it, take his/her hand and let the child feel the mat in front and on the sides. Then put a few toys on and let him/her feel for the toys. After a while, when he feels the mat, s/he will know there are toys to play with.

You can even further once he knows about the mat. You can put the toys in boxes with lids or in jars with screw-on lids, or a small washing bag with a zip or a make-up bag with a press-stud, so that he or she is encouraged to seek toys.

Put the child's toys in a toybox that is always in the same place and teach the child to go to the box to find toys. You may want to put a strip of masking tape on the ground or a piece of carpet to help to guide the child to the box. You can control the number of toys in  the box by selecting which ones you want and leaving the other packed away somewhere else.

The toys must have interesting textures (e.g. a ball covered in tin foil, fabric, cotton wool, or a ball made with a textured covering). The items can also be constructed to make noise (e.g. a match box with a bit of sand in it;  or a cookie box with a toy inside) (NB NB Never use little things that the child can choke on if the small item comes out of the box!). A rattle, a teething ring, a plastic drinking bottle - anything that the child can hold, explore, listen to, or feel.

Teaching object permanence is critical for language development.

Object permanence means that the child knows that when something is out of their hands - when they can no longer feel it or hear it - it still exists. Typically developing babies learn this over time - months in fact. By the age of 9 months, they have developed this understanding. If you do not have this understanding, you will not learn that a word stands for something that is not necessarily there. Blind/visually impaired babies may take more time to learn object permanence because they cannot see that the objects still exist if you take them away or if they drop them. Babies who are blind/visually impaired need to feel rather than see that objects that have 'disappeared', still exist. They cannot see them, but you can show them by telling them, or by taking them to where the object is.

Some blind/visually impaired children throw things. The problem is that they do not see them and are not taught that they do not disappear. Always encourage the development of object permanence - that if they throw them, they do not disappear.

Blind/visually impaired babies need to learn about cause effect.

This means that they learn that if we do something, there is an effect.  Provide them with many opportunities - if they press a button, the toy makes a noise. If they open a bottle, the water is there. If they throw a ball, it makes a noise. If they shake the box (with the toy in it), it makes a noise. If they smile, they are spoken to and so on.

Blind/ visually impaired babies need to learn about joint attention.

This means that two people are interested in the same topic. Typically developing babies will look at something that you look at. Later, they will turn to look at what you are looking at. They will look at a toy and you will talk about that toy. This is the beginning of language - we have to have something that we are BOTH interested in so that we can have a TOPIC to talk about.

We have to teach joint attention to blind/visually impaired babies in a tactile and auditory way. I have found that the best way is by touching what the baby is touching, in such a way that they baby can FEEL that I am also touching it.

Mediate their learning with language. You can talk about the joint topic. "We are both playing with the elephant. I am also touching the elephant"

Blind/visually impaired babies need to learn to explore toys.

This is how they learn about the world. How big things are. If they open and shut. What happens if they do something with the toy. How to release toys. What happens if they throw toys and so on and so on. Playing with toys is all about endless amounts of learning.

They can't see the toys so always make sure you bring the toys (and the environment) to them!

Adapt toys .  Most modern toys are made of plastic in primary colours. So the orange ball and the purple ball, as well as the black one and the pink one all feel the same. Blind/visually impaired children need to play with different toys and need to learn to identify difference (that is the beginning of 'comparing and contrasting', a crucial cognitive skill).   BUT if the purple one is a bit rough (because we dotted bits of glue all over it) and the pink one is furry (because we stuck little bits of cotton wool on it), and the black one is rough (because we stuck river sand on it with glue), then they are all (1) different and (2) interesting.

You really do not need to spend money on ready-made sensory toys. This is especially relevant in South Africa where imported toys cost the earth. Make a sensory board .. . go to the hardware shop and buy all kinds of hinges and locks. Stick them on a piece of chipboard and you have a board of things to feel. And language to learn:

What's this?

It's hard

It's made of metal

It's made of plastic

It feels cold

This one feels sticky

This one is easy to open

This one does not feel easy to open

This one opens and closes.

Do it slowly

Up and down

Go to the cupboard and take out those clothes that don't fit or have faded, or that you have not worn in ages.  Cut off the pocket with the button, the zip still attached to material, a press stud on fabric and you have all kinds of things to play with.

let's play with this.

it's a zip.

open and close

zzzziiiipppp - can you hear the noise it makes

a long zip and a short zip

open it fast

close it slowly

 Much language can be learned through the tactile world.

The environment is crucial

Conti Ramsden and Perez-Perreira state this in their book (Language Development and Social Interaction in Blind Children). Blind/visually impaired children are not surrounded by the visual environment like sighted children are. Sighted people  ignore most of what we see - - the blue sky, the grass, the walls, the pylons, trees, cups -  - but if we want to take note of something, we do - a child might ask on seeing something, "What's that, Mommy?" A blind or visually impaired child will not comment on or ask about things that are invisible to them so it's our job to tell him or her about them

We must talk about the the broader environment.

We are in a garden. We are standing on the grass, and there are trees and flowers all around us. The trees are big..."

We also have to talk about the specific environment

We are going to the car. It is parked in the driveway. Let's count the steps until we get there. The driveway is made of brick and it feels hard when we walk on it.

We have to help the child to generalise about the environment - they do not know that my driveway and your driveway are both driveways, and that houses have them and shops have them.

Give the child a sense of where s/he is by using touch and language:  Take the child around the room by the hand and talk to him or her about where the room begins and ends, where everything is situated in the room (e.g. the table is next to the door; the carpet ends here; the chairs are on your left) - even from a very young age!  The child cannot see the environment - you need to show him or her where s/he is, where the boundaries are - even when sitting at a table, let the child feel the edges so the child knows he or she is sitting at a small or big table; that the edge is close or near etc.

Use the child's own body to talk about things like height, depth, distance, size

e.g. the plane goes high up in the sky....Put your arm up, Peter...the plane is higher than your arm, its so high that no one can touch it

e.g. The tree is tall , even taller than me. Ok, lets make a line on the wall (with tape) to show how tall you are. Now let's do how tall  I am .  ... Pick the child up so s/he can feel the tape running from the floor to your marker and compare it to his own marker on the wall by feeling the distance from the floor to his or her own marker on the wall by feeling the distance from the floor to his or her own marker.

Blind/visually-impaired children need to read and be read to!

Book reading is a powerful way that children learn language ... vocabulary, grammar, narratives and scripts (e.g. beginning, middle and end). They learn about predicting (what is going to happen on the next page or at the end); they learn to infer. They learn about literacy ... that there are sounds, words, sentences, punctuation. The list of what we learn through being read to and through reading is endless. Margaret Mead once said that the greatest thing to happen to the human mind is  learning to read because the world of learning is then infinite.

Book reading is a powerful way for visually impaired children to learn.  They can be any published book, they can be tactile books, and home made ones.  10 pieces of cardboard stapled together makes a book.

You can make early books.  For example, page one is a ball - round piece of felt. The child has a ball covered in felt so when he feels the round  ball in the book, it feels like his round ball. Page 2 is a block - a square piece of tin foil. The child has a block covered in foil so when he feels his foil block in the book it kind of feels like the tin foil covered block in his toy box. Page 3 is a button - stuck on with glue. Page 4 is a stick - a toothpick and so on.  These early books are like first books - the pictures (in this case, the tactile stimuli - the things I can l "tactile pictures") are tactile real things, representations, or part of real things.

Cover the books. Blind children cannot see them or the illustrations. I cover books in different papers and fabrics. Sometimes I stick a tactile "picture" on the cover e.g., a button for a face - e.g., for Goldilocks, put three things in increasing size on the cover , or a small wheel from a toy car if it's a book about a car.  You may want to cover a book in velvet-like material if it's a comforting book, or a rough piece of hessian if it's about the sandy place (e.g., rural road, beach, or sandpit).

Use tactile pictures. Blind/visually impaired children don't need pictures - but they need their attention to be kept in other ways.

Visually intact children love to look at pictures, visually impaired children need something as attractive as pictures. .

So,  stick things into ordinary children's books. Yes, we were all taught not to write in books, or damage them but it's a load of rubbish...books are there to be read and used, not preserved! Stick a moon into Goodnight Moon. Put hair on Goldilocks. Put egg shells on Humpty Dumpty. And grass where there is grass.

Use "objects of reference" (i.e., an objects box).. These are boxes with objects that are included in the story. You have to prepare these beforehand. So, some will be lifelike (e.g. a doll for Goldilocks, an apple for the poisoned apple; even a sharp pin for the spinning wheel needle - just be careful); some will be "parts of" such as  a lock of hair for Rapunzel's hair), and some will be representations (e.g. a handful of leaves for the forest; a key to represent the locked door) - be imaginative!!!

The child can be given the real toy bear to hold while a story of a bear is being read.  Or a moon and a star when Goodnight Moon is read.  

Audiobooks are wonderful, but cannot replace being read to in an interactive way by an adult who asks questions, points things out, laughs with a child, repeats the pages, changes the scripts, adds his or her own little touches, makes funny voices and accents.

The use of toys with visually impaired children

All children learn through play. We start by looking at toys and exploring them, moving them from hand to hand. And we sit in our high chairs and throw them - someone will pick them up and so we learn object permanence (and of course, when someone has to pick up the toy a hundred times, we learn we can manipulate people and laugh with them too). We find and lose them. We mouth them, mess them up, treasure them, and hug them, and we also become attached to them. We share them, and don't share them. We hide them and bury them. They help our emotional development, our social development, and our language development.

We learn concepts  and then words through playing with toys - big/little; heavy/light; far away and close; few and more and less and some; here and there; mine and yours and ours; what things in the world do and who does them; that toys are symbols and stand for something else; that games can have goals; there are winners and losers .... so, visually impaired children also need to play with toys! A lot!

One of the best tings to do with a visually impaired child is to co-create toys. We build them together. Use cardboard, glue, different types of tape, paint, etc.

Make the world tactile. Here are some examples of toys I've made.

Here's a sensory helicopter that I made with a child. It is made of cardboard boxes, different kinds of tape, glue. By feeling the different parts of the helicopter, and by putting the parts together, the child learned what a helicopter "looks" like.  It was so much more powerful to learn to make a helicopter out of different materials than it would have been to play with a ready made plastic toy helicopter.

Here's a dice made out of a small box with little balls of tin foil stuck on with glue. There is a stone inside the box so that when the child shakes it, it makes a noise.

Here is a tactile snakes and ladders made out of cardboard. The dividing lines are made of strips of cardboard stuck on with masking tape. The ladders are strips of cardboard with rungs made of adhesive glue (I use Bostik clear). The snakes have been painted  to make them feel smooth and the snakes' heads are indicated by a blob of adhesive glue. The first and last blocks have been marked with blobs of glue as well.  When we play, the markers are pressed in place with Prestick (like BluTak) so that they don't get bumped off by mistake.The markers on this board are a green Lego helmet and an old coin.

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This advice-column-style blog for SLPs was authored by Pam  Marshalla  from 2006 to 2015, the archives of which can be explored here. Use the extensive keywords list found in the right-hand column (on mobile: at the bottom of the page) to browse specific topics, or use the search feature to locate specific words or phrases throughout the entire blog.

Language Therapy with a Blind Child

By Pam Marshalla

Q: I just was assigned a three-year-old child who is blind and who has no expressive language. I have never worked with a child like this before. I am looking for general guidance.

I am not an expert on working with blind children, but I have some experience and these are my thoughts––

Blindness effects language development in certain ways mostly by limiting the child’s experiences and related vocabulary and concepts .  How does he develop concepts of size and space to comprehend phrases like “here” or “over there”?  How does he learn to answer simple questions like “What’s this?” if he cannot see the object or picture?  How does he comprehend the color “blue” or the words “bright” or “foggy”?  Teaching has to be done via the auditory, tactile, proprioceptive, olfactory, and taste senses more than for other children.  You also will have to give her more time to process what is going on.

One child who was blind taught me a lot many years ago.  This five-year-old girl had only a few words, and she would do nothing for me until I stopped “teaching” her and stepped back to allow her several weeks just to crawl around the entire physical space in which we worked. I was sharing a space with other SLPs and OTs at the time, and I could not get this child to focus on anything I said in or did in my room until I gave her several weeks to piece together in her mind the entire physical space.  She did this by crawling in and around virtually every nook and cranny in our joint rooms, including the OT equipment, the closets, the administration office, the front and back doors, and the bathroom (luckily it was very clean).  Once she had a physical sense of where she was, and what and who was there, she began to settle down and listen to me.  I had to start with language about the rooms themselves as we played on all the equipment, and I had to make sure she knew all the other people before we settled down to specific toys in my room alone.  That means that we worked for 5-6 months outside my room first.  I worked with her for about two years before I moved on to a different job, and she was speaking in phrases by then.  She was still very much “on her own agenda” though.

1 thought on “Language Therapy with a Blind Child”

this is a good eye opener item,i have a girl child who is blind and deaf she is so powerful and she is hard to respond to the teachers who want to calm her down so that she can accept the the use of the hearing aids. i am so worried that after the implant process she has not gained much from the look of things.

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How to Teach Your Blind or Visually Impaired Child to Talk

Last Updated: November 13, 2021 References

This article was co-authored by Paul Chernyak, LPC . Paul Chernyak is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Chicago. He graduated from the American School of Professional Psychology in 2011. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 9,086 times.

Children who are blind may have more problems with speech and language than sighted children. They do not have the same visual stimuli as sighted children, but they use their other senses fully to help them understand the world around them. Help them build skills from infancy onward by spending extra time with them using repeated touch and exploration. [1] X Research source Teach words through reading books, talking about feelings, and speaking throughout the day to your child. If you’re concerned about your child’s speech abilities, get a speech evaluation from a speech therapist. If you’d like to increase your child’s communication, use sign language to help bridge their communication with spoken words.

Learning Vocabulary

• For example, say, ‘Do you want your ball? That’s a ball. You’re touching a ball.”

• Use tactile books that provide interesting textures and activities for your child to explore. This might include things to pull, put together, or move.
• Find books and stories that interest your child and keep their attention. Don’t be afraid to re-read books again and again, as this can help them develop better language skills.

• Say, “You feel angry. Yes, I can tell because you are yelling and shaking your fists.”
• Teach your child words to get your attention when they need help. For example, they can say, “Help” or “Sad.”

• Teach color to your child by making comparisons to high and low tones in music. For example, say, “There are lots of colors, just like there are lots of notes on a piano. Some colors are soft while others are loud. Just like you can play the same note in a different octave, different colors can have different shades.”

Helping Improve Their Speech

• For example, say, “Now we are changing your diaper. Up you go on the changing pad. Ok, let’s take off your pants and get rid of your stinky diaper. Off it goes! Now we are wiping your bum so it’s nice and clean. On with the new diaper and we’re just about done! Here are your pants and you’re all set.”

• For example, if you ask a question and your child repeats it, model how to respond. If you ask, “Would you like to read a book?” and your child repeats it, follow up by saying, “Yes, I would like a book, please.”

• Use your child’s name instead of saying ‘you.’ Say, “Did Ariel put on her jacket?” or, “Can Rafael come to the dinner table, please?” This helps them visualize objects and people better rather than trying to relate to vague commands or concepts.

• For example, they can say, “I want to make sure you haven’t left,” or, “Please don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

• Some blind children may experience some speech delays. Keep watch for things that make your child very different from their peers.

• Talk to your child’s pediatrician if you have concerns. If your child is in school, talk with their teacher or school psychologist.

Using Sign Language

• For blind children, sign can help with body awareness. It can also help teach your child that gestures and body language are a part of communication.

• If your child is trying to sign something, pay close attention as they may not sign it exactly.
• Praise when they start to sign on their own, even if it’s an approximation.

• When signing an item for your child, make the sign for them and repeat it. Repetition will help reinforce the connection between a sign and an object.

• For example, if you child loves crackers, teach them the sign for cracker. If your child loves their toy ball, teach the sign for ball.
• You can also teach simple signs like “more” or “all done.”

Expert Q&A

• Research suggests that visually impaired children may follow a different developmental schedule than a sighted child, so what seems like a delay to learn may simply be normal for them. Don't compare a visually impaired child's learning progress to that of a sighted child. [16] X Research source Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.tsbvi.edu/resources/2278-teaching-your-blind-baby-sign-language
• ↑ https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr04/issue2/f040207.html
• ↑ https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/blog/10-tips-introduce-reading-young-child-who-blind-or-visually-impaired
• ↑ https://familyconnect.org/browse-by-age/infants-and-toddlers/transition-to-independence-iandt/teaching-empathy/
• ↑ http://www.teachingvisuallyimpaired.com/language-development.html
• ↑ https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr30/1/fr300104.htm
• ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/watchmetraining/module2.html
• ↑ https://www.babycenter.com/404_how-do-i-know-whether-my-child-needs-a-speech-therapist-ages_70361.bc
• ↑ http://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/teaching-your-visually-impaired-child-sign-language

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Activities for Blind People

In this article

Having a sight impairment isn’t an obstacle to living life to the fullest. From support networks to exercises, there are countless ways for blind, low-vision, and visually impaired people to stay active and engaged.

But before diving into these activities, here’s a quick overview of the differences between the three:

• Low vision. A condition where someone has limited sight that glasses, contact lenses , medication, or surgery can help with but can’t entirely correct.
• Vision loss. Whether sudden or gradual, vision loss is when you can’t see well without help (e.g., glasses or surgery) and may lose some or all of your sight.
• Visually impaired. A state where everything you see is cloudy and unclear because you can’t make out sharp shapes and lines.

6 Fun Activities for Children with Low Vision

Whether it’s a birthday party or a family outing, activities for kids with low vision must be age-appropriate and suitable to their abilities. Try these fun, engaging, and educational ones:

1. Tactile Games 

Building Legos, putting together puzzles, or playing board games will engage the sense of touch. 

Through these exercises, kids can explore their creativity and imagination with shapes, colors, and textures. They can also enhance their problem-solving and fine motor skills.

2. Audio Tours 

Going on an audio tour at a local museum or zoo can be fun. Listening to descriptions of exhibits and activities will help them understand the bigger picture, encouraging their imagination and creativity. 

Interactive activities like these can also develop their social and communication skills.

3. Art Projects 

Low-vision children can create beautiful art pieces with their hands. You can encourage them to innovate with finger painting, clay sculpture, and paper mache. 

They can also experiment with activities like pottery, woodworking, and weaving to boost their fine motor skills and self-expression.

4. Gardening 

Planting a vegetable patch or flower garden can foster patience and appreciation for the environment. 

Kids can feel and identify various plants, flowers, and animals through watering, weeding, planting, and potting. Gardening will also teach them how to be responsible.

5. Music activities 

Enrolling children in music classes or playing instruments are great ways for kids to express emotions. It also makes them focus on activities that don’t rely solely on sight. 

Singing, dancing, and playing an instrument can nurture their confidence and self-esteem. Musical exercises also refine their talents and skills.

6. Animal Therapy 

The benefits of animal interaction are immense. You can let visually impaired children explore a petting zoo, help groom or feed animals, or even participate in events like horse riding and dog sledding. Doing so allows them to develop life skills such as empathy and improve their mood.

12 Fun Activities for Adults with Low Vision

Adults with low vision have various activities to boost their physical, mental, and social well-being.

Explore these helpful pastimes with them:

1. Cooking and Baking

Preparing food brings together the joy of creating delicious meals and desserts with delicious outcomes. 

By working alongside an instructor, low-vision adults can craft their favorite recipes while honing in on precision techniques and accuracy. 

2. Exercise Programs

Maintaining good health with activities like swimming, Tai Chi, or walking are great ways to stay active. 

These exercises promote a better understanding of the surroundings and strengthen muscles. Exercise also lowers stress levels, improving concentration and focus.

3. Audio Books & Podcasts

For adults with low vision, audiobooks and podcasts offer a wealth of knowledge and an opportunity to grow. 

From discovering the secrets of history, science, and culture to escaping into captivating fiction stories, these activities can expand their understanding while polishing up their communication skills.

4. Technology Courses

Technology can open up a world of opportunities. Low-vision adults can talk to people who live far away, try out activities online, and use special software that recognizes voice. Taking advantage of these innovations lets them experience all the digital-driven world has to offer.

5. Art Appreciation

Visiting art galleries, concerts, and museums will bring an appreciation of different art forms. 

Low-vision adults can listen to verbal descriptions and audio tours while attending sculpting, painting, and photography workshops. These experiences will provide perspective while inspiring creativity.

6. Socializing and Volunteering

Joining clubs and participating in social activities is a great way for grown-ups to expand their horizons. After all, it provides new relationships and strengthens community ties. 

From creating beautiful craft projects to digging deep into meaningful charity work, these opportunities build confidence and increase self-esteem.

7. Woodworking

Woodworking can be a fulfilling experience for adults, offering an exciting opportunity to flex their creative muscles and problem-solving abilities. 

Crafting items like furniture or toys sharpens motor skills and hand-eye coordination. It also provides the satisfaction of seeing your hard work come together, turning vision into reality.

8. Gardening

Gardening activities can be a zen-like experience for adults with low vision. They help expand knowledge about the environment and sustainability and promote sensory development. 

Beyond these benefits, gardening opportunities allow adults to enjoy the fresh air outdoors.

9. Music and Dance

Visually impaired adults can discover the joy of music and its healing power. They can build their coordination skills through drumming, singing, ballroom dancing, or salsa. 

They can also find rhythm and foster social interaction through such activities, all while having an amazing time. 

10. Arts and Crafts

With the proper guidance, adults with low vision can discover their artistic side through tactile and visual activities. 

Whether knitting, cross-stitching, origami, or jewelry-making, these crafty pursuits let them explore all sorts of textures and colors. Plus, they’ll have heaps to show off once complete.

11. Outdoor Activities

A healthy dose of adventure is perfect for staying mentally and physically in shape. Outdoor activities like hiking and camping provide a unique opportunity to explore nature while staying active. 

Bird watching or animal tracking can be exciting ways to learn more about the natural world.

12. Massage Therapy 

Massage therapy offers an all-encompassing experience for adults looking to become more acquainted with themselves and their vision. 

After all, it provides physical pain relief and a chance to relax and unwind. Moreover, it reduces muscle tension, promotes relaxation, and improves blood circulation.

5 Fun Activities for Seniors with Low Vision

For seniors with impaired vision, activities to explore and keep them engaged can be hard to come by. 

However, the following can help them stay connected and stimulate the mind and body:

1. Board Games

Classic games such as chess, checkers, or backgammon can be enjoyable for spending time with family and friends. 

You can even modify some that require full vision with bigger boards and tactile pieces. Having braille versions of checkers or chess is also a great option for blind seniors.

2. Trivia Games

Trivia activities are a great way to keep seniors’ minds sharp and active. 

You can create personalized versions of trivial pursuits with topics that have special significance for the player, such as family history or their favorite television shows. Blind seniors can also join online audio-based trivia activities that don’t require visual acuity.

3. Simple House Chores

Low-vision seniors can enjoy the satisfaction of completing meaningful tasks around their homes, such as folding and sorting laundry or washing dishes. 

By engaging in these chores, they receive a daily exercise to stimulate both body and mind while strengthening their sense of touch.

Jigsaw puzzles are an excellent low-vision activity that seniors can partake in. For the visually impaired, there are special tactile versions of these activities available, allowing them to explore shapes and textures. It’s also a great way to keep minds sharp as they age.

5. DIY Projects

For extra creativity, why not encourage seniors to design and build something from scratch? DIY sensory bags, stress balls, blankets, and scrapbooks are some activities they can do or even a garden terrarium. 

All these activities require some tactile interaction that will stimulate their minds and allow them to show off their handiwork.

Activities for blind people can offer a lot of hope and possibilities. And they aren’t just for recreation or fun. Instead, they help build self-confidence and independence while fostering independence.

Explore these activities for blind people to make them stay engaged, healthy, and happy:

• Navigation training
• Orientation and mobility training
• Hiking and camping trips
• Music classes
• Computer activities
• Arts and crafts
• Board games
• Storytelling
• Sensory 
• Home management training
• Sensory activities and experiences 
• Listen to songs, audio stories, and podcasts

Resources and Books for Support and Inspiration

Many resources are available for those looking for activities suitable for people with low vision. No matter the age, the following are great places to start:

• American Council of the Blind
• American Foundation for the Blind
• Family Connect
• Foundation Fighting Blindness
• National Federation of the Blind
• Vision Aware
• American Printing House for the Blind, Inc
• Audio Bibles for the Blind
• Learning Ally
• Learning Sight & Sound 
• National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS)
• Start Seeing CVI
• Prevent Blindness
• Choice Magazine Listening
• Independent Living Aids
• VisionAwareTM Emotional Adjustment to Vision Loss

Barriers People with Vision Impairment Face

Despite great strides in technology and resources, many activities remain out of reach to visually impaired people. The most significant barrier is limited access to activities that require sight, such as reading books or playing video games. 

Even pastimes like outdoor sports are challenging with limited vision. Everyday activities like driving, cooking, and shopping are complex for those who have trouble seeing their surroundings and objects.

Here are some other barriers people with visual impairment might face:

• Difficulty navigating in unfamiliar environments
• Limited access to activities that rely on visual cues (e.g., art, certain sports)
• Poor mobility and balance due to weakened visual orientation 
• A problem in making out objects and information from a distance
• Limited job prospects due to lack of specialized skills
• Struggle in completing activities that require precise movement
• Inaccessibility to public transportation
• Discrimination in social activities and daily activities

Tips for Communicating with Visually Impaired People

For those who interact with the visually impaired, keep these etiquettes in mind:

• Always talk directly to the person, not to a companion or guide
• Introduce yourself before starting a conversation
• Acknowledge them immediately when they enter a room
• Ask how you can help before offering assistance
• Speak at normal pace and loudness unless they have hearing loss
• Offer precise verbal descriptions of activities, places, and people
• Avoid assuming activities they can or can’t do
• Politely end conversations instead of just walking away
• When acting as a guide, give specific verbal cues to inform them of changes in direction and obstacles
• Always introduce them by their name before mentioning their disability

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Nonverbal Communication Skills for Blind Children

Help your child master effective nonverbal communication.

Think about a potential employee who does not turn to face the interviewing panel as they speak. Imagine someone joining a recreational club to make friends but expressing disinterest or unapproachability through their body language. Last, envision a young adult on a date who stands uncomfortably close to their romantic interest because they have never learned cultural norms around personal space. Effective nonverbal communication is beneficial in all social settings.

Head-To-Toe Listening

Your grade-schooler may find it easiest to learn respectful and friendly nonverbal communication by learning the communication role of each body part, head to toe. This can be labeled “head-to-toe listening.” Here are the basics to teach.

• Head: Your head, while upright, should be directed toward the speaker and can occasionally nod in agreement.
• Eyes: Eye contact is made or appears to be made. To avoid looking too intense, you can look away occasionally.
• Mouth: If the conversation is positive, light-hearted, or friendly, don’t forget to smile! A genuine smile is warm and inviting. It helps to brush and floss after a meal. If in doubt, ask a good friend if there is any food in your teeth!
• Shoulders: Shoulders are held upright, exuding confidence and alertness.
• Arms: To emphasize a comfortable and confident self, arms should be by your side instead of crossed over the chest.
• Hands: People generally use their hands while they speak. The goal is to emphasize important words without distracting from the spoken message. Hand movements should be relatively firm instead of loose or too stiff. Repetitive hand movements are generally distracting.
• Legs: Stand at least one arm’s-length distance from the speaker with a comfortable, shoulder-width stance. Two people in conversation rarely stand directly in front of one another but usually angled toward one another.
• Feet: Feet angled 45 degrees towards a speaker indicate interest, while feet angled away suggest a desire to walk away.

Teaching Nonverbal Communication

Here are some practical methods for teaching proper nonverbal communication.

• Role-play situations as a means to instruct and provide practice. You can read an example of role-playing a first impression and related discussion questions in the nonverbal communication lesson plan.
• Provide opportunities for your child to practice in safe environments. One example, expecting your child to order her meal at a restaurant, is found in the nonverbal communication lesson plan.
• Help your child identify potential careers based on their interests and strengths. Assist your child in developing opportunities to speak with others in their desired career fields. Help them connect with their career goals with the need to learn nonverbal communication skills to the career. Read the public speaking lesson plan for more detailed information.
• Teach your child the importance of showing authentic concern and respect for others. Help her understand the typical, positive results of effective nonverbal communication.
• Instruct your child to set goals for nonverbal communication.
• Give your child opportunities to teach nonverbal communication to others.
• Take your child to a variety of social settings and describe the nonverbal communication you witness. For suggestions, read the analyses of social situations lesson plan.
• Perhaps most effective, allow a trusted classmate to model and assist your child in the process of learning nonverbal communication. Read the modeling and feedback from a sighted peer lesson plan.

The previously mentioned lesson plans and more are free resources from the APH ConnectCenter.

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Early Intervention for Deaf-Blind Infants & Toddlers

Mar 25, 2021 | ASDC News , Audiologists , Deaf-Blind , Educators , Parents and Families

Deaf-Blind Early Intervention Services

Early intervention services provide much needed help for children age birth to 3 who have developmental delays or conditions like deaf-blindness that might lead to delays. Specialists work in the home or in other natural environments to help families and caregivers learn strategies that support a child’s progress toward reaching their developmental milestones. Early intervention is a system of services that includes speech and physical therapy as well as hearing and speech services and other forms of life skills development.

Thanks to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each state provides early intervention services for infants and toddlers with or at risk for disabilities and their families. If you have or know of a young child with developmental delays, visit NCDB’s “ Early Intervention: What is Part C? ” to learn more about early intervention and the services are available in your state.

• Early Interactions with Children Who Are Deaf-Blind
• Teaching Prelinguistic Communication
• Orion’s Journey

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Speech Therapy Exercises For Children

Fun, At-Home Speech Therapy Exercises for Children

This week, in the spirit of the Olympics, we thought we’d offer some of our favorite speech therapy exercises and activities to do at home. That’s right, exercises! While there will not be a half-pipe, blob-sledding track or a gold medal at the end of your session, the reward will be an opportunity to spend quality time with your child and help him or her with increasing speech and language skills.

There are a wide variety of reasons to work on speech therapy exercises at home. Sometimes, a parent is not sure if her child needs to see a speech therapist and would like to do some speech therapy exercises at home first. Perhaps your child’s teacher has expressed concern that he has some stuttering, or needs help in speech skills. Or, your child is already seeing an SLP and you would like to supplement what he is learning with at-home activities.

We have put together a list of exercises, tools and activities worthy of the Sochi games. Each exercise is designed to engage your child and stimulate language and speech production. Remember, therapy sessions, especially for children under the age of three should be FUN! Your child may not cooperate if he feels like he is in a formal learning environment. Children need to enjoy their activities in order to learn. While a little structure is okay, let your child walk around the room, wiggle and giggle to get the most out of your time together.

Exercises for Speech Therapy:

Flash cards.

Flash cards can help kids in speech therapy to focus on the sounds that they have difficulty with. You can help make it more entertaining by providing an activity for kids to do along with them or a reward when done correctly. For example, a small piece of candy (chewable is good for strengthening jaw muscles) after saying a certain number of sounds on the language cards correctly.

Mirror Exercises

Many kids with articulation problems don’t understand how to move their mouths to make sounds correctly. Speaking in front of a mirror can help a child to see how her mouth moves when she makes particular sounds. You can articulate each sound slowly and correctly to model proper positioning for your child and demonstrate the differences in the mirror.

This is a simple game to help get your child to repeat the same word six times. Choose six words that you want to practice. Slide each word into a clear plastic paper protector, aka “lily pads”. Spread the plastic lily pads all over the room.  Have your child hop to each lily pad, each time saying the word. After he hops to all six of the lily pads and says the word correctly, your little frog may want a tasty fly as a reward!

This is a fun board game by Hasbro that helps children identify everyday items such as cars, animals, foods and sea creatures.  Not only does this game teach problem-solving, it encourages proper character identification and socialization skills. Beware, you may find yourself playing it over and over!

These are four of our favorites – what are yours?

Check out these websites for additional speech therapy exercises and activities:

Speech Therapy Games to Use At Home

Speech Buddies: Activities and Exercises for Home

Helping Your Baby Reach Greater Wonders

Communication

Find creative ways to encourage your baby or young child to communicate, including sign language and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) options.

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How to Use Sign Language for Potty Training

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Teaching Your Visually Impaired Child Sign Language

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Helping your blind child develop effective listening skills

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Switch Play: Using a switch for communication and play!

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You Can Say That Again! Echolalia in Visually Impaired Children

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Communication, iPad Apps and Accessibility

Adapting Signs App for Children with Vision Impairment

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The ProxTalker Communication Board with Real Objects

The ProxTalker is a communications device that gives nonverbal kids a voice. Tags can be customized for your child's specific situation, and added and revised as necessary.

Sign to Speech to Text – The Next Big Thing for the Deaf Community

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Talkitt® Makes Unintelligible Speech Understandable

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STACS: Standardized Tactile Augmentative Communication Symbols Kit

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Looking Deeper to Find the Person Within

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Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)

Children who are blind/visually impaired (B/VI) may need direct support with social communication. A speech language pathologist (SLP) may be able to help a child talk, listen, or read non-verbal body language, which is important for friendship and relationship building. For example, children who are B/VI may miss silent communication cues, such as facial expressions and body language. This could affect their friendship and relationship building. Sighted children learn many social communication skills through incidental learning . Incidental learning is learning through observation. When vision is missing, this incidental learning, through visual observation, may not happen. As such, families and SLPs can work together to assist children who are B/VI in improving social communication skills. SLPs work to assess, diagnose, and treat speech, language, social communication, cognitive communication, and swallowing disorders.

Some children may have an SLP in a hospital setting for therapies, such as swallowing or feeding, and an SLP at school for other aspects such as social communication or articulation. SLPs may also serve children in private settings, such as at home or a private practice. When these professionals connect the medical and educational goals and progress in each environment, the child receives more combined services across settings. Again, like with other medical and educational professionals, release forms and your permission is needed to share information about your child across both settings.

Want more information about the profession of SLP? See Learn About the CSD Professions: Speech-Language Pathology .

Want to support your child’s incidental learning by teaching non-verbal communication skills? Family Connect can assist in improving these skills.

A website dedicated to helping SLPs use PLAY-BASED speech and language therapy so they can save time and have fun!   

50 fun and easy articulation activities for speech therapy.

Articulation cards are a staple in Speech Therapy rooms. Articulation Flash Cards can be used in so many ways with preschoolers and elementary students... buuuttt sometimes they can get boring and repetitive. Check out these articulation card ideas to bring some new and exciting speech therapy activities into your therapy room! You can use these ideas in group therapy or in one-on-one sessions or even send them home for easy articulation homework ideas!

WHAT’S THERE?: Place 5 cards around the room. Ask the child to find and label the card in a particular place. For example, “What is beside the lamp?” -> “ Bee!”

MAKE A ROAD: Place target cards on the floor around the room. Drive cards over the cards. If you have a toy tractor, you can load the cards into the tractor.

FEED THE PUPPET: Feed a puppet the target cards.

FLASHLIGHT HUNT: Pin the cards around a room. Turn the lights off and give the child a flashlight to find the cards.

IS IT A ___?: Ask the child if a card is an item. For example, “Is it a cat?”. You can use the carrier phrases, “No! It’s a ____” or “Yes! It’s a ___.” Have the child complete the blank.

MUSICAL CHAIRS: Place cards on the floor. Play music and when it stops, have the child find a card to sit on.

TAKE PICTURES: Use a camera/phone to take pictures of the cards. Kids find this incredibly motivating!

BOWLING: Put the cards in paper bags. Take turns rolling a ball to knock over the ‘pins’. Say the word when you knock over a bag.

OBSTACLE COURSE: Make an obstacle course out of items that you have. Make sure to go under, over, and between objects! Place cards throughout the obstacle to practice along the way.

‘BUY’ THE CARDS: Play store! Use pretend money and have the child ‘buy’ the cards.

BEAN BAG TOSS: Place cards on the floor. Have the child throw a bean bag on the cards. For more trials, the child can also tell you which card they are aiming at.

BALL POPPER: Stand the cards up using binder clips, or stick them to a wall. Use a ball popper (or bubbles) to aim for the cards.

HOPSCOTCH: Make a hopscotch board out of tape on the floor. Place a card in each square. Say the word when you land on it.

SENSORY BIN: Place the cards in a bin filled with cotton balls, pom poms, and cut up straws - or anything you can think of! Have the child find the items using tongs or tweezers.

JENGA: Place cards between the layers of blocks.

FLY SWATTER: Place the cards around the room. Give the child a fly swatter and have the child ‘swat’ each card. Kids love running between the cards!

TELL SOMEONE: Bring the cards to show the child’s teacher/friend. Ask the student to label each card.

WHAT AM I DRAWING?: Place the cards face up, in front of you and the child. Take turns drawing one of the items. See if you can guess what it is!

HIDE UNDER CUPS: Hide the cards under plastic cups.

SNOWBALL FIGHT: Place the cards upright using binder clips. Use scrunched up paper balls to knock the cards over.

HIDE IN BOOKS: Hide cards in books. You can use Sticky Tack (or hide under flaps!) to stick the cards to the pages. Say the word when you flip to the page the card is on.

HANG AND CATCH: This activity takes a little more prep but it is so fun! Hang string with paper clips from the ceiling. Attach cards and have your students pull the cards off the string.

PLAYDOUGH: Smoosh play dough on the card each time you say the word (make sure your cards are laminated!).

TIC TAC TOE: Print a few copies of your articulation cards and play tic tac toe! Give each player 6 copies of a card.

MAKE A SHAPE: Make different shapes with your cards (square, circle, triangle).

HOPPING: Place the cards around the room on the ground. Hop from one card to another.

SIMPLE DRILL: Pair your card with a drill card and cover each number with a token or a mini object.

ROLL AND SAY: Roll a dice. Say the word the number of times indicated on the dice.

MEMORY: Print two sets of cards and play memory.

GO FISH: Use two sets of cards to play Go Fish.

MEMORY GAME: Place several cards face up on the table. Have the child study the cards. Flip them face down and see how many card the child can remember.

FISHING: Use a magnet and paper clips to create a fishing game.

WHAT’S MISSING: Put 2 or 3 cards on table, face up. Let the child take a quick peek and then close their eyes. Take one card away or turns one card over. Ask the child to guess which one is missing.

MAIL CARDS: Make a mailbox out of a tissue box. “Mail” the cards to family and friends.

EGG CARTON TOSS: Place one card in each section of the carton. Have the child toss a coin into the carton. Say the word on the card where the coin landed.

TELL A STORY: Use several cards to create a story. (This is best for conversation level).

SILLY SENTENCES: Make a silly sentence with each card.

POP IT: Use a Pop it fidget toy and have the child push one section each time they say the word.

USE CLOTHESPINS: Have the child place a clothespin on the card each time they say the word.

COLOR AND CREATE: Use black and white Articulation Cards. Allow the child to color and create their own set that they can use and take home! (My Articulation cards come in black and white and color for this purpose!)

BURY AND FIND: Bury cards under pom poms, cotton balls, or sand. Have the student use a shovel or tongs to find the cards/

BUCKET TOSS: Place cards in buckets. Throw crumbled paper or a ball in to the bucket.

MINI OBJECTS: Lay your cards on the table and cover them with mini objects. Simple but effective!

BUBBLE BLOW: Place cards on the wall using sticky tack or Painter’s Tape. Blow bubbles onto the cards. Say the word when the bubble lands on it.

MICROPHONE/TELEPHONE: Say your words into a telephone or toy microphone. You could also use paper towel rolls.

HOLE PUCH: Print Black and White Cards and hole punch the cards each time you say the word.

MAGNET WAND: Use a magnet wand and magnetic chips. Place a chip on each card the you say the word. Use the wand to pick up all the chips when you are done!

BLOCKS & CARDS: Place a block ad then lay a card on top. Continue until the tower tumbles. See how high you can build the tower before it falls!

SPOON RACE: Place the card on a spoon and see how fast you can make it across the room. Say the word when you place the card on the spoon.

FEED ANIMALS: Use toy animals and have them ‘eat’ the cards. Kids think this is hilarious!

I hope you find these articulation therapy ideas helpful. I know I am always looking for ways to mix it up and keep my students engaged.

The key to all sessions (in my opinion) is to allow a LOT of choices. If you want an Articulation Activity Choice Board (it includes 30 of the no-prep activities listed here ), sign up for my email list (link below) and you’ll get instant access!

If you're looking for some bright and colourful (and black and white) articulation cards, make sure to check out my Articulation Cards for Speech Therapy!

• Speech Therapy Tips and Tricks

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• Speech and language therapy
• Clinical information
• Visual impairment​ – overview

Visual impairment​ - overview

• Visual impairment is a relatively low-incidence disability, but it frequently has a high impact
• There is considerable range of needs amongst people who have visual impairment

Page content

What is visual impairment, role of speech and language therapy for visual impairment, related topic areas, key organisations.

If you’re a speech and language therapist, please sign up  or  log in  to access the full version of this content.

Visual impairment – where a person has sight loss that cannot be fully corrected using glasses or contact lenses.

Visual impairment may be congenital (present from birth) or acquired (develops after birth). Several causes of visual impairment are age-related, e.g. cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Visual impairment is therefore more common in the elderly than in children.

Speech and language therapy contributes by advising and supporting the family, carers and other practitioners, concerning the communication of people who have visual impairment.

Many people who have a learning disability and/or physical disabilities also have visual impairment, and dysphagia is common in this group. Speech and language therapy promotes safe and enjoyable eating, drinking and swallowing in these people.

• Brain injury
• Learning disabilities
• Multi-sensory impairment
• Motor disorders
• Progressive neurological disorders
• Blind Children UK
• Look: National Federation of Families with Visually Impaired Children
• Royal National Institute of Blind People  (RNIB)
• Scottish Sensory Centre
• SeeAbility  – works with people who have sight loss and other disabilities, including learning and physical disabilities, mental health difficulties, acquired brain injury and life limiting conditions
• Visionary  – membership organisation for local sight loss charities, sometimes known as local societies or associations for blind and partially sighted people. The website has a search facility using postcodes to identify the nearest local organisation.

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Modifying Speech Therapy for Children with Multiple Disabilities

• Speech Therapy for Special Populations

There is an aspect of planning speech therapy for children with multiple disabilities that feels like a huge game of tug o’ war.  It’s difficult enough right?  We have students who have difficulties communicating and on top of that they have:

• Visual Impairments
• Hearing Impairments
• Mobility Needs
• Intellectual Disabilities

If it were therapy alone that we were worried about, I think that most of us would still be in pretty good shape.  However, it’s the questions that we have to answer before therapy even begins that really exacerbate the problem:

Do we see them individually or in a group? In the classroom or in your speech room? Do the special education assistants work with us or do we work alone? Do we use low-tech or high-tech AAC based on whether the classroom or home will adopt it?

This is where tug o’ war comes to mind for me because there are real people on the other side of the rope from us. The special education teachers, the general education teachers, the special education assistants, and the parents have a huge influence. If we don’t communicate and collaborate, we can end up on opposite sides of the rope. Our ability to collaborate and get on the same page influences how successful we are at teaching strategies for students with multiple disabilities.

So it’s not just “speech therapy with children with multiple disabilities.” It’s never that simple.  The great news is that there is one tool at our disposal that helps us to lay the ground rules for how we can enjoy a highly collaborative environment.

MODIFICATIONS!

It doesn’t get much better than when we make huge gains TOGETHER in a life skills or special education classroom.

Modifications for Students with Multiple Disabilities

Modifying lessons for children with different levels of abilities and multiple impairments is a challenging task for anyone. Here are some things to remember when planning for such a diverse group of students:

Choose which students need to be seen individually and which students can benefit from being part of a group based on the classroom dynamic and their level of communication ability. Communication abilities can be broken down into:

• Non-verbal and intentional with gesturing
• Low verbal (1-2 word utterances)

When preparing lessons for the classroom, keep in mind ways to modify so that all students can participate and target their goals. For students with physical impairments: keep things mobile. This will allow students to easily access materials.

• Modifications for students that have visual impairments: Make sure to include plenty of auditory and tactile input during your lessons. Sound clips and manipulatives are great.
• Modifications for students with auditory impairments: Large visual aids and signs should be incorporated into lessons.
• Modifications for students with AAC devices: Learn about the devices used and how the students use them. You may need to acquire templates for the device or program the device to enhance a lesson and increase communication.
• Modifications for students with Behavior Plans: Set clear and consistent rules. Create a separate set of materials to be used individually by the student for a sense of responsibility and purpose.

Develop a Routine:

Find ways to keep your sessions consistent so that students know what to expect. You may choose to begin a session and end a session the same way every time. A great way to start a session is by choosing a “Question of the Day” or targeting a “Sound of the Day.” End your sessions with the same song or chant. This will provide a clear start and finish to speech therapy.

Ask for Help:

Collaboration is key for successful execution of a lesson that requires multiple components. Make sure teachers know how you are planning to modify for each student, ask for their input, and most importantly, ask for help to carry this out.

Don’t be afraid to revise and change throughout the year if you think your students would benefit from something else. Make sure to keep the lines of communication open with teachers to continually assess and make changes as necessary. If something doesn’t work, try and try again.

Why modifying speech therapy for children with multiple disabilities is so important.

We are busy people.  Crazy busy.  You, me, and any educator we interact with. Often times I feel that when we approach our colleagues about serving a student together, the first place their mind goes to is everything that they have to do. 

Really no different than us, right?  So it makes sense that a seasoned professional is going to protect their work space, their schedule, and the people assigned to them to help out. 

If we approach our conversations based on the best outcomes we could imagine for the child AND speak in terms of what is on the IEP (e.g. modifications) then we are not adding to their workload.  We are helping them get their workload done!

More Resources:

Language Intervention for School-Age Children with Down Syndrome

Speech Therapy for the Life Skills Classroom

ASHA: Services for Individuals with Severe Disabilities

Where do I start with teachers that want their students pulled out of the life skills classroom? How about a student who has an AAC device but it is not used in the classroom?

Great and common questions. First, there is a free CEU course on working in a Life Skills Classroom. It is perfect for your situation and great for anyone working with multiple disabilities: Life Skills Course. We are typically battling two potential issues. 1) Teachers are protective of their classroom, aides, and time. I feel rightfully so. I would suggest finding a time when you can spend some time in there, listen to the exchanges that are going on, and help improve communication with some simple suggestions so that you are seen as part of the team (e.g. parents, nurses, aides, teacher) and not just a visitor. Working one-on-one in the corner might be a next possible step.

Aug Comm is really tough. When there is no buy-in about using AT, I scale it back to use a low tech communication board. You can make several copies to put on the desk, in back packs, taped to the wheelchair tray, etc. Teach with that, model to the teachers how to do it, and choose activities that meet THEIR special ed goals. You can download our favorite in-color core vocab map on the Speech Therapy Materials page.

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Language Stimulation for Children

• Early Childhood Specialists

Self-talk is a language stimulation technique in which the parent, guardian, or educator describes their actions before or while performing them. Self-talk is more potent when the child being taught is involved. One example of self-talk would be, “I’m sitting next to you so I can see what you’re trying to put into your mouth.”

Parallel Talk

Parallel talk is similar to self-talk, but it focuses on the child’s actions instead of the actions of the parent, guardian, or educator. It is important to use pauses, eye contact, and body language when employing parallel talk to encourage the child to participate in the communication. One example of parallel talk would be, “It’s your snack time. You’re eating applesauce. When you finish eating your applesauce, you will eat some orange slices next.”

Child-Directed Speech

Child-directed speech is not the same concept as “baby talk.” Child-directed speech involves the parent, guardian, or educator changing the pitch, tone, and tempo of their voice to make the voice easier for the child to understand. Pronounced fluctuations in pitch, slow speaking rates, frequent pauses, and clear, emphasized pronunciations are some factors that can help a child understand an adult’s speech more clearly.

The expansions technique prompts the parent, guardian, or educator to take a one-word or two-word phrase from a child and turn it into a complete and relevant sentence. Not only will expansions teach the child how to form complete sentences, expansions indicate that the adult is listening to the child. For example: if the child sees a dog and says, “doggy,” the adult could use expansion and say, “Yes, the dog is running through the park with its owner.”

Extensions are similar to expansions, where the parent, guardian, or educator takes the child’s speech and lengthens it to a complete sentence. However, extensions differ in how they’re used; when a child combines two or more words, but does not yet have a complete sentence, the adult creates a complete sentence. This allows the adult to subtly correct the child and teach the child how to use the words properly. If a child were to say, “Car go,” the adult could use extensions to respond, “The car is red. The red car is going towards the stop sign. The red car stops.”

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s speech and language development, please feel free to contact us at the Speech and Occupational Therapy in North Texas to schedule a consultation.

Author:  SOTadmin

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