All students should have access to rich literacy instruction. For students with CVI, literacy is taught in a slightly different way.

Students with a CVI Range 1-3 are working on increasing looking using familiar objects used throughout the day. It helps to use single color objects/shiny objects of the child's preferred color (most often red or yellow). An example would be a red spoon at lunch. Some students will have items they already look at that are more complex. Keep using these items, that's great progress! When presenting these items, describe their features- what makes a spoon a spoon. Giving students consistent time to look at items in their environment will help them increase their range score and prepare them for more literacy activities. Letter sounds can also be taught using an auditory method before a child is able to view 2-d images. Students at this level can still be presented with visual items, they just may not be able to look at them and if they do look, they may not be perceiving what they are seeing.

Once a student has a range score of at least 4, 2-d images can be introduced. The easiest 2-d image to perceive are photographs and most often photographs of familiar items. The set of items and photos can be gradually increased. Letter sounds can also start to be integrated with their 2-d images once a child reaches this level. Highlighting letters and word with a preferred color helps draw attention and learn the shape of words and letters. The lighting of a screen also helps draw attention. So these are meant to be presented on a screen and do not need to be printed.

If you have any specific questions about where you child is at on the Range, please email me, jklenk@washisd.net