Phase I Interventions

Phase I: Building visual behaviors (Ranges 0 to 3)

Working on:

• Consistent looking at a small set of objects

• Examples may be: pinwheel, familiar character (ex. Elmo), windsock, slinky, single colored spoon, etc.

• Items can be used as part of a daily activity (ex. show the red spoon before using it to eat)

• Can teach phonemic awareness and alphabet with auditory scanning- student will not be able to see or understand the visual letter, can use objects as anchors (ex. A for apple)

Guidelines for presenting items:

• Use objects of a single, preferred color

• Use objects that are shiny or reflective

• Use a simple background (black or white)

• Use objects that are familiar

• Use of movement to gain and sustain attention

• Presented in strongest field (usually peripheral)

• Present objects on a light box or use a flashlight to cast light onto the item (make sure the flashlight is held from behind the child)

• May be able to regard simple moving images on an iPad

• Decreased background noise

• Seated away from light sources

• Materials present within 18 inches or less

• Provide ample wait time, provide verbal prompt prior to presentation and then silently wait for visual attention, sometimes up to 30 seconds

Next steps...

• Teach salient features of familiar objects (ex. what makes a spoon a spoon-see salient features books under the Adapted Books tab)

• Add more objects

• Add objects of another color

• Try increasing the complexity of objects (ex. 2 colored objects)

• Show similar objects to familiar objects (ex. other types of spoons) and talk about what makes them similar and different

• Have students identify or select a requested object out of the group of preferred objects “Which one is your spoon?”

• Work on discrimination activities “Show me an object (spoon) like the one I am holding.”

• Work on recognition activities “Look at these objects and find the spoon”

• Work on identification activities (pairing with auditory scanning if needed) “What is this called?”

• With this specific instruction and practice, an individual with CVI will eventually learn to generalize visual information