Using plastic letters and capitalizing on tactile cues can help reading disabled students sort out perceptual confusions. Three case studies depict the tactile approach's value in teaching reading and spelling as well as in promoting generalization. (CL)

Explores the possibility of multimodal bivariate thematic maps by utilizing auditory and haptic (sense of touch) displays. Measured completion time of tasks and the recall (retention) rate in two experiments, and findings confirmed the possibility of using auditory and haptic displays in geographic information systems (GIS). (Author/LRW)

The results of an empirical investigation into how visually-impaired people sense their surroundings show that a range of environmental features can be identified using sound, touch and smell. The information gained is relevant to the design of tactile maps, to ensure that an area is represented in a way that is meaningful to the map users.…

Young children do science exploration and observation every day in their play. They spontaneously engage in parts of the scientific inquiry process--wondering, asking a question, planning how to answer the question, documenting their work, thinking about what happened, and sharing their results with others. Conducting an entire experiment is…

Describes a museum exhibit of Japanese art designed to enhance tactual awareness. Blind and sighted visitors cooperated in sharing their hands-on perceptions of objects. Display pieces, chosen for functionality and design interest, included ceramics, textiles, folk art, lacquer work, musical instruments, and household objects. (AM)

This article describes the use of touch as a strategy to teach children with multiple handicaps. Touch cues help children to anticipate events and to interpret information from the environment. Caregivers should first observe the child's existing repertoire of movements, and then create touch cues that build upon the child's preferred…

Seventy-two sighted college students who studied the braille or Fishburne alphabet for eight minutes were tested for recall. More Fishburne than braille items were recalled, independent of item arrangement. Results suggest that visually impaired persons might use the Fishburne system for labelling personal objects or when braille learning is too…

This schools fourth-grade language arts curriculum includes two stories that deal with blindness. The stories prompted Carol Vincent to invite one of her students' parents, who participates in a guide dog program by raising puppies, to bring one of her dogs to school and explain the training of guiding-eye dogs, and the ways in which they can be…

Middle school students represent a wonderful target audience for introducing neurological concepts. The preteen years of the middle grades represent a time of incredible physical and mental development. Students in a seventh-grade classroom are experiencing dramatic physiological and psychological changes. Understanding the parts and functions of…

A revised concept of multimodality, multisensory instruction which minimizes the visual modality is suggested to deal primarily with the severe spelling difficulties of the dyslexic and of others with a similar language problem. (Author/SW)

A course in non-visual art offered as part of a general education requirement has both blind and blindfolded students exploring aspects of art, primarily tactile and auditory, usually de-emphasized in art education. (MSE)

Physical guidance and tactile modeling, coupled with explanation, are effective methods of improving the motor skills and physical activities of students who are blind (O'Connell, 2000). It is important that students with visual impairment are given the option to use one or the other method with each new skill, since they may have a preference for…

The article describes a tactile book program sponsored by the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind in which every primary and secondary school in Victoria (Australia) state produced books with tactual elements. (DB)

In this article, the author discusses the Yogakids program and relates her experience as a Yogakids facilitator to children with diverse challenges such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), Asperger syndrome, Down syndrome, non-verbal learning disorder, cerebral palsy and others. The mission of the Yogakids program is to educate the whole child.…

Researchers of physiological factors resulting in reading disabilities have studied intelligence, prenatal and postnatal influences, sensory factors such as adequate visual, hearing, and tactile functioning, and genetic predetermination. Chronic health problems which cause frequent absences from school can also result in lower achievement. (JN)