GIVING YOUR CHILD THE HOME TEAM ADVANTAGE Dawn Wilkinson, Early Childhood Project Leader American Printing House for the Blind CTEBVI 2015

Objectives  Participants will become familiar with methods and materials to enhance concept development in children with visual impairments.  Attendees will explore materials to further support the role of parents as part of the educational team.  Participants will understand the sequence of braille introduction and how to meet the expectations for kindergarten and beyond.

Starting Fun and Simple Mini Rib-It-Ball (7-inch)  Playing ball encourages the team effort between you and your little one.

Keep The Fun Going... Sound Adapted Tangle Ball Kit  Recommended ages: 6 months and older

Reading With Your Child Braille Tales Print/Braille Book Program  APH/Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Partnership

Parents and Their Infants With Visual Impairment (PAIVI) Second Edition  Designed to help parents and teachers of infants who are visually impaired work together as primary members of the intervention team.  Available soon from APH!

PAIVI Parent Assessment of Needs (PAN)  Parents and early intervention service providers work together to identify home-based goals PAN Sample Pages

PAIVI Parent Observation Protocol (POP)  Uses video as a tool for parents to observe themselves and their child during teachable moments POP Sample Pages

PAIVI Assessment Checklists  Developmental Vision  Functional Hearing  Functional Communication  Interaction With Objects Sample Pages from Screening Checklist for Interaction With Objects

PAIVI Parent Booklets  Learning Together: A Parent Guide to Socially Based Routines for Very Young Children With Visual Impairments  Getting Ready for Preschool: A Parent Guide to Transition

Learning Together PAIVI – Parent Booklet  Offers strategies for parents to embed learning opportunities within everyday activities: mealtime, bathtime, bedtime, playtime, story time, and going out.

Getting Ready for Preschool PAIVI – Parent Booklet  Addresses concerns parents may have about transition from early intervention to preschool services

Coloring for Conceptual Development APH Tactile Marking Mat  17 x 13 ½-inch plastic mat with texture that causes wax crayon marks to be tactile

Coloring Lots of Dots Series  Learning about pictures in braille can become as natural as learning print.  Learning My ABC’s  Counting 1, 2, 3  Coloring the Garden

Pictures: An Essential Component of Literacy  Colors, pictures, and print words are everywhere!  Paint Pot Palette

Indestructible Braille? PermaBraille Sheets  The perfect size for little ones  Works with permanent markers and tactile drawing tools  Spill proof  And on sale until March 31!  5 x 3  6 x 4

Indestructible Braille? Braillable Labels and Sheets  Perfect for adding braille to print board books  Labeling household items for word exposure  Placing names on personal items

Indestructible Braille? Feel ‘n Peel Stickers  Smiley/Frowny Face (over 200 stickers): $24.00  Reward Statements (over 200 stickers): $24.00  Braille/Print Alphabet Letters (over 600 stickers): $24.00  Numbers (over 650 stickers): $24.00  Rewards Statements II (over 100 stickers): $24.00  Stars (over 300 stickers): $24.00  Color Names (over 100 stickers): $24.00

Indestructible Braille? Animal Shapes and Pages Set  YUM!  Inedible animals in the shape of the Stauffer’s® animal crackers  Understanding same and different  Page orientation  Object orientation and perspective  Solving puzzles  Beginning tactile graphics

California Preschool Learning Foundations Reading  1.0: Concepts About Print  Children develop concepts about print through seeing print in the environment and observing people using print for various purposes. Central to an understanding of the nature and role of reading and writing is a child’s understanding of “intentionality,” i.e., that intentional meaning is encoded in print and print conveys a message.  Children’s understanding that print carries meaning often begins earlier than at preschool age, but the concept becomes increasingly sophisticated during the preschool years, and it depends largely on exposure to print and interaction with it in preschool. Preschoolers begin to use print to communicate, to understand the way print is organized in text and in books, to recite the alphabet, and to recognize some letters and words in print. They develop sophisticated knowledge about print conventions—how print is organized and how this organization changes to fit various purposes and genres. Quoted material from pages as retrieved from California Department of Education Web site:

California Preschool Learning Foundations 1.1 Begin to display appropriate book-handling behaviors and begin to recognize print conventions.  Examples  When holding a book, the child orients it as if to read.  The child can point to where the title is shown on the cover of a book.  The child opens a book and turns the pages in a single direction, although not necessarily one page at a time.  While looking through a book, the child says, “the end” after reaching the last page. Quoted material from page 63 as retrieved from California Department of Education Web site:

Reach for the Stars: Planning for the Future  This guidebook helps families to plan positive transitions for young children with disabilities.  Aids families in working with school personnel to create educational plans that will lead to inclusive educational programs.

Reach for Stars... Maps and Forms Included in the Guidebook  Map 1 – My Gifts and Contributions to the World  Map 2 – Images for My Future  Map 3 – What Does and Does Not Work for Me  Map 4 – All About Me  Map 5 – Skills I Want and Need to Learn  Map 6 – My Education Plan  Intervention Plan  Performance Monitoring Form

Experiential Learning: Activities for Concept Development  Activities in this guidebook are designed to help children learn through experience in a meaningful and fun way.  Development areas:  Cause and effect  Hand-eye coordination and/or Auditory- hand coordination  Motor development  Object permanence  Sensory awareness  Spatial awareness

Giving Your Child The Home Team Advantage  Who is the most valuable player?  Although we have talked about lots of different options, it’s all about providing your child with numerous experiences and opportunities so that he or she can participate alongside sighted peers. Most importantly, make choices that will offer FUN for you and your child, while accessing any early intervention support and services available.

THANK YOU! On behalf of APH, we hope that something you have seen during this presentation will help you give your child the home team advantage. Dawn Wilkinson, M.Ed. Early Childhood Project Leader American Printing House for the Blind Educational Products Research Department