7 early literacy experiences for kids with CVI

Presentation by Megan Connaughton and Amanda Toczylowski and article by Lacey Smith

Children with Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) need direct and intentional learning opportunities because they often miss out on incidental learning opportunities. Literacy development starts at birth when your child begins exploring the world using their senses. These early experiences help them understand their surroundings and form the basis for future learning, building a foundation for literacy.

Amanda Toczylowski and Megan Connaughton are preschool teachers in the Deafblind program at Perkins School for the Blind. Both Amanda and Megan have years of experience supporting children with CVI and other complex needs.

Literacy is a journey, not a race.
Megan Connaughton

In their webinar, Amanda and Megan share seven ideas for how to approach and build early literacy skills.

1. Foster total communication

Total communication is a holistic view of communication, often using a range of modalities or even thinking “outside the box” to create a system of communication.

Touch and Gesture Cues
Objects and Partial Objects
Tactile Symbols
Photos
Picture Symbols
Print
Speech
Sign Language
Assistive Technology

Examples of communication symbol hierarchy

Communication symbols begin with a concrete representation and are real objects that are meaningful to the student. Symbols move on a hierarchy toward the abstract, which moves farther away from the actual object. Below are two examples of this concept for visual and tactile learners. CVI learners are dual-media, so tactile, visual, and/or audio components can be used together for communication symbols.

For visual learners: object, photo of the object, illustrated picture, written word

For visual learners from concrete to abstract: object real spoon, photo of the spoon, illustrated picture of a spoon, written word "spoon"

For tactile learners: object, symbolic object, partial object, braille word

Concrete to abstract symbols for a tactile learner: object real fork, symbolic object real fork on a black block, partial object top of fork, braille word fork

Use consistent language across environments that are unique to the child’s level of communication. For example, always call a shoe a “shoe” versus alternating between shoe and sneaker.

2. Label the environment

Use objects/photographs/labels that are meaningful to your child for each activity.
Place labels at eye level or in the preferred visual field.
Use objects that are easy to duplicate to use in a calendar system for matching.

Labels in the environment. For bathroom: diaper, picture of toilet. For refrigerator: sippy cup, g tube, picture of fridge

3. Develop a calendar system

Who needs a calendar system? Everyone! When thinking about a calendar system, remember it must be meaningful to the child and centered around their lived experiences and routines. When getting started with calendar systems, begin with concrete items versus abstract symbols.

Calendar systems can support concept development in a wide range of areas and topics:

Vocabulary
Anticipatory skills
Period of time/beginning, middle, end
Memory skills
Promotes conversation
Replays information

Calendar systems can be one-step or multi-step and use objects, partial objects, photos, picture symbols, print/braille, and even audio components.

Learn more about building calendar systems in our four-part series.

Make your own slant board! Watch our DIY instruction video on Instagram.

Steps to cutting open a big cardboard box to make a slant board

You can also use shoe boxes and colored construction paper to recreate this one-step calendar using red and green bins. The green is for the current task, and the red is for when the task is finished.

One picture shows red and green bins with text: School version. The other shows red and green bins made out of shoeboxes and colored paper with text: home-made.

Use lights to highlight what is next, for example, a puck light or a portable reading light.

One picture shows red and green bins with a puck light in the green bin. The other picture shows an object calendar on a black board with a reading lamp on one object

4. Create story boxes

Story boxes allow individuals with CVI to experience new and familiar concepts through hands-on learning.

Use objects to simplify a story and represent the main idea on each page
Objects help introduce new concepts
Allow the child to interact with the book
Give concrete examples to aid in comprehension
Develop various concepts
Create based on your child’s interests
Fun and engaging

Tips for using story boxes at home:

Read the page, then show the object after you are done reading.
Place the object in the “finished bucket” to show the completion of a page.
Use a neutral and simple background for reading.
Repeat the same story box for consistency.

Mouse Pain book with objects for a story box that include paint, different colored mice, paint brush, and bowl

5. Adapt books

Adapting books allows literacy to be individualized to meet the needs of learners with CVI. Some ideas to keep in mind:

Focus on keywords and concepts. You can still read the whole text, but emphasize your key vocabulary word(s).
Simplify pictures, reduce background clutter, and bring out the important part of the picture.
Add sensory elements like texture, shiny materials, and scent.
Use a voice output switch for repetitive lines.
Add page bumpers to help turn pages and corners.

Images that show how to adapt books for learners with CVI: simplify pictures, plain background, audio voice output switch, add texture, page bumpers, scents, and shiny materials

6. Build experience stories

Experience stories are rooted in an activity or routine your child does daily or once in a while. Your child can rely on experiential memory to support their understanding of this story. It’s a wonderful foundation for learning literacy concepts. Some things to keep in mind:

Create a story around an experience or situation familiar to the child and make it unique to your child and how they experienced the event.
Use objects that your child interacted with throughout the experience.
Use an experience story to preview or review an experience.

Image of items for an experience story about going to the beach, bathing suit, beach ball, sunglasses, sunscreen.

7. Concept development within literacy

Literacy can be tied into early concepts, including the beginning of pre-math skills such as colors, matching, counting, and 1:1 correspondence.

Colors: Matching and identifying colors
Matching real objects to adapted images in books or finding a real object based on what they read on a page.
Counting and 1:1 correspondence
Calendar symbol of the environment

Remember!

When considering early literacy, keep it simple. Use consistent language and routines to help your child learn new concepts across different environments. Make literacy personalized and meaningful for your child.

Keep it simple.
Keep it consistent.
Keep it individualized.
Keep it up. You are your child’s best advocate and you are doing great!

Check out the video! Megan and Amanda go into more depth about each of these ideas for building early literacy skills in children with CVI.

Find more resources and helpful information on the CVI Now Early Intervention Series home page.