This checklist will help teachers who are assessing children with Visual Impairments provide an optimal environment for observation for the DRDP (2015). Use of the checklist can help assessors plan more informed and meaningful observations and reflect on the accuracy of their observations. The items on the checklist correspond with more detailed information in the Guidance for Assessing Children with Visual Impairments.
1. Become knowledgeable about the child’s visual impairment
▢ Type and level of visual impairment
▢ Findings of the child’s Functional Vision Assessment (FVA)
▢ Recommendations from the child’s Learning Media Assessment (LMA)
▢ Prescribed corrective lenses and magnification devices
▢ Visual impairment with additional disabilities
2. Support the child’s language and communication skills
▢ Obtain the child’s full attention
▢ Maintain close proximity between the speaker and the child
▢ Offer time and prompts to help the child find or identify who is speaking
▢ Use facial expressions, gestures, and vocal intonations that accurately convey the speaker’s message
▢ Give the child time to respond to a question before repeating it
▢ Give the child sufficient opportunity to examine items through vision and touch
▢ Teach the child how to scan and respond to the visual environment
▢ Teach the child how to tactilely search for and explore materials
▢ Help the child develop listening skills
▢ Provide the child with an effective mode of communication
▢ Provide concrete experiences for the child to develop and demonstrate understanding
of the meaning of words and what they represent
▢ Check frequently for understanding
▢ Be familiar with the child’s home language
3. Provide additional support for the child relative skills in the domain Approaches to Learning–Self-Regulation
▢ Help the child attend to people and things in the environment
▢ Teach the child to imitate
▢ Help the child learn how to regulate feelings and behaviors
4. Optimize the environment for observation
Optimize positioning
▢ Make sure the child’s back is to the window or light source
▢ Provide preferential seating in groups
Optimize physical access
▢ Make sure that the environment is safe, accessible, and predictable
▢ Organize the environment to maximize peer interactions
Optimize visual access
▢ Provide optimal illumination
▢ Minimize visual distractions
▢ Use visual schedules
▢ Arrange the environment to support visual access
▢ Provide visual supports
Optimize auditory access
▢ Minimize auditory distractions to optimize participation and engagement
▢ Create quiet spaces
▢ Promote the child’s participation in conversations with peers during group activities
Optimize tactile access
▢ Use real items whenever possible instead of plastic models or replicas
▢ Use 3D materials for art, numeracy, and other activities
▢ Add objects to visuals on schedules
▢ Label items with textures and braille
▢ Provide time for the child to handle and explore materials
5. Rating measures of the DRDP (2015)
▢ Determine mastery
▢ Identify interests and preferences
▢ Be aware of prompt dependency
▢ Ensure access to appropriate reading and writing materials
