Deafblind children contain a multiple disability that implies a great limitation in the sense of sight and hearing. These children need a very tailored style of special education and support so that they can face their daily life. In most cases, although it is determined that they are deafblind, it does not imply that these two of their senses are totally impaired, but that they may be partially reduced.
The education of deafblind children must be adapted to the type of disability that each one represents. There are children who, having partially improved their sense of vision and hearing resistance, can access school, secondary and even university integration. But if they do not have at least something developed any of their senses, their education will be specialized where they will have to have an intermediary between themselves and the world around them.
What is achieved in the education of deafblind children?
You have to bring the child closer to the world around him and try to associate it with reality. He must be motivated to develop his communication with the world around him and taking advantage of part of the existing potential.
Education specialists will try to bring the child closer to his surroundings through words, natural gestures, conventional signs, movements and touch with the hands.
Types of schooling
Standardized schooling: these children can go to ordinary schools with some adaptations for them. It must be remembered that some deafblind people are not totally limited in their senses, so they can communicate with others orally or visually. In these cases the classes They will be given, but with some special and different attention guidelines from other children.
Special education: in these centers children can go to specialized classrooms within their category, with deafblind students and peers. The attention will be much more specialized where they will be attended by an Educational Guidance Team. Here the personalized attention of each student will be evaluated and some of the following contributions will be given:
- It must be evaluated which are the special needs you need, what type of personal autonomy does he maintain and what is his communication capacity in front of others.
- With an answer to all this the type of help you need will be proposed and how your adaptation should be. In turn, the type of schooling that is most feasible for its evolution will be applied.
Resources you need within the classrooms
This type of resource will depend on the needs of each student, Remember that not all are the same, so these tools will be essential, although some are not so complete:
- A mediator person: It is one of the essential supports so that there is a rapprochement between the students and what is around them.
- FM systems: It is a microphone that is placed near the guide and a receiver that is connected to the hearing aid or cochlear implant. This system helps to improve communication between both since it has good signal resolution and reduces any noise that occurs in the environment.
- Hearing aids: are hearing aids or cochlear implants. They will be for some students since they can contain auditory remains and can be used with great efficiency.
- Braille: This writing system is widely used by blind people and is a perfect fit for deafblind students.
- Adapted materials: This type of object is of vital importance for their education. Real-shaped objects from our human anatomy can be used in a science class. In the study of Geography they will use relief maps and for other resources such as Biology they will use scenes with objects. They will use the tactile sense, smells and in some cases, when possible, sounds.
- Technology: in this type of technological advances they have come to be of great help to increase their autonomy, in some cases screen magnifiers have been used.