Sample 1
Expanded Core Curriculum: The Expanded Core Curriculum includes a set of skills
that are impacted by vision loss that must be systematically and sequentially taught to
the visually impaired student. These areas include:
 compensatory or functional academic skills, including communication modes
 orientation and mobility
 social interaction skills
 independent living skills
 recreation and leisure skills
 career education
 use of assistive technology
 sensory efficiency skills
 self-determination
Compensatory skills are those needed by blind and visually impaired students in order
to access all areas of core curriculum. In an assessment of these skills, S
demonstrated competency in using large print to access the general curriculum and
orientation and mobility skills. S demonstrated strengths in social interactions skills,
independent living skills, and recreation and leisure skills. S is a regular participant in
Region 10 Expanded Core Curriculum events, enjoys cooking at home and enjoys
socializing with her family and friends. She is a proficient user of a wide variety of
assistive technology and demonstrated good use of her residual vision. S did
demonstrate a weakness in the area of career education and is currently receiving
direct instruction from a Teacher of the Visually Impaired to work on post-secondary
transition.
Sample 2: Infant
Expanded Core Curriculum/The Oregon Project for Preschool Children Who are
Blind or Visually Impaired: Several skills checklist from the Oregon Project were
completed with the help of L’s parents and Mrs. Mitchell, his classroom teacher:
1. Cognitive: L has attained 10 out of 17 skills expected of a 3-4 year old. This is
equated to the Compensatory/Functional Academic Skills of the ECC and
includes the areas of Language and Communication. Language: L has attained
11 out of 17 skills expected of a 3-4 year old
2. Compensatory Sensory Training: this area will need to be addressed for prebraille and braille instruction. L has emerging tactile skills that indicate he would
be able to acquire the necessary skills to read braille and print. This will address
functional academic skills and some elements of Sensory Efficiency and
Assistive Technology of the ECC.
3. Vision: L has attained 9 out of 14 skills expected of a 3-4 year old. This is
equated to the Sensory Efficiency area of the ECC. L shows a strength in tactile
gross motor activities such as gathering items and putting them in a container.
He has a weakness in fine tasks that require direct instruction to obtain such as
tactile tracking.
4. Self-Help: L has attained 8 out of 19 expected of a 3-4 year old. This area
appears to be a weakness in the area of the ECC cover self-help and SelfDetermination. This is being addressed in the PPCD classroom within the
curriculum.
5. Social: L has attained 16 out of 18 skills expected of a 3-4 year old and 4 of 15
skills expected of a 4-5 year old. This area correlates with the Social Interaction
Skills of the ECC and indicates that L has a strength in the area of social
interactions with peers and adults as well as Recreation and Leisure in the ECC.
6. Due to L's age the areas of the ECC addressing Career education and
independent living skills will be addressed at a later time.
All age applicable ECC areas are being addressed within the PPCD curriculum except
those related to pre-braille, braille and visual efficiency. Those will be addressed by the
teacher of the visually impaired in collaboration with the PPCD staff so that instruction
is being reinforced throughout L's day.
Sample 3: PPCD
Expanded Core Curriculum: The Expanded Core Curriculum includes a set of skills
that are impacted by vision loss and may require intervention and systematic
instruction.
G’s areas of both strengths and weaknesses in the nine areas of the ECC are as
follows:
•
Compensatory Skills –G is a student diagnosed as deaf blind. During the
evaluation she demonstrated ear-hand coordination by reaching for objects and toys
with sound. She purposefully turned her head to localize sound when in a sitting
position. She searched briefly for objects that were familiar to her (cheerios, pacifier)
but had difficulty with novelty objects especially at a distance greater than 2 feet. G
enjoyed being touched by familiar people and responded by widening her eyes and
smiling. She responded well to the evaluator and was very alert and compliant during
the observation. Although G used both hands to reach and explore objects, she used
her left hand more than her right. A bumpy switch with a CD music player was
recommended to encourage touch using both hands.
•
Social Interaction Skills-G is very social in her school setting. She interacts by
smiling, laughing and making sounds. She enjoyed age appropriate play time with her
teachers and her peers in the school gym.
•
Independent Living Skills- G independently fed herself and can travel
independently when placed in her kid walk. G’s teacher assistant reported that G had
independently explored various areas in her classroom this year. Although she is
challenged in the area of dressing herself due to physical abilities, when prompted, G
made effort to assist with dressing by putting her arms or legs through clothing.
•
Recreation and Leisure – G was observed in the school’s gym playing and
interacting with her peers. She enjoyed going outside to the playground area where
she smiles, laughs and play. She was noted smiling and turning her head to watch the
other kids as they played. Teachers reported that G participates with her younger
sister in family activities. It is recommended that G participates in community ECC
events within the region.
•
Career and Vocational Education –Due to age and physical limitations, her need
for Career and Vocational Education is not a necessity at this time.
•
Assistive Technology – G continued to use her Sensory Learning Kit, her Light
box and her switches to participate in her daily class routine. It was recommended that
the Sensory Learning Kit be implemented into G’s IEP goals to help develop visual,
gross motor and fine motor skills.
•
Sensory Efficiency Skills – G used all of her sensory channels to engage in her
environment. Although she experienced challenges with her hearing, she attended to
objects with sound that were in close proximity. She used her vision to locate and
track objects in all quadrants. G independently reached for objects placed within her
immediate environment. She often explored those objects by putting them in her
mouth. Her senses of hearing, touch, taste and smell appeared efficient.
•
Orientation and Mobility- G enjoyed traveling while in her kid walk for short
distances and playing in the gym. While in her kid walk she explored objects in the
hallway and interacted with her rib ball in the gym. G’s mobility is mostly dependent on
others around.
•
Self-Determination – Due to physical challenges, G exhibited weaknesses in the
area of Self Help skills. Considering there are physical limitations, G demonstrated a
slight growth in progress Self Help development.
Sample 4: DNQ
Expanded Core Curriculum: The Expanded Core Curriculum includes a set of skills
that are impacted by vision loss that must be systematically and sequentially taught to
the visually impaired student. These areas include:
•
compensatory or functional academic skills, including communication modes
•
orientation and mobility
•
social interaction skills
•
independent living skills
•
•
•
•
recreation and leisure skills
career education
use of assistive technology
visual efficiency skills
Compensatory skills are those needed by blind and visually impaired students in order
to access all areas of core curriculum. B is a proficient iPad and regular print user. He
received orientation and mobility instruction in the past and continues to show mastery
of these skills. B’s mother indicated that he interacted well with other children and has
many friends. He loved to play outdoors and has participated in a soccer league in the
past. He enjoyed playing computer and iPad games and is a proficient user of both
devices. Although, B can help with chores at home; his mother said that he disliked
doing them. B demonstrated excellent visual efficiency skills as he consistently tracked
a line of print and read fluently at grade level.
Sample 5: O&M:
A review of D’s skill level in several Expanded Core Curriculum areas revealed some
areas of strength and need. Identified areas of strength include:
Emerging social skills (does not always request information), independent living skills,
Orientation and Mobility, sensory efficiency, social interaction and technology. Some
areas of weakness are: career education, academic/compensatory, recreation/leisure,
self-determination. However, these areas are being addressed within the classroom and
through community experiences such as Special Olympics bowling and other events.
Sample 6: O&M:
Expanded Core Curriculum: The Expanded Core Curriculum includes a set of skills
that are impacted by vision loss and may require intervention and systematic instruction.
The ECC includes the following nine areas:
1. Academic/Compensatory Skills: this includes such things as Pre-Braille/Braille,
handwriting, Nemeth code (Braille math), slate and stylus, abacus skills, listening
skills, organizational skills, beginning concepts. T appeared to have great
listening skills, but comprehension was not always apparent. He had a good
understanding of beginning concepts such as letters, colors, numbers, shapes,
body parts, etc. However, he had difficulty identifying concepts and terminology
used in traveling within neighborhood and small business areas.
2. Career Education: this includes such areas as career awareness, personal
interest, job clusters, personnel structure, economics of work, why people work,
etc. T participates daily in job tasks and career exploration as part of his
functional skills classroom.
3. Independent Living Skills: this includes such things as dressing/clothing
management, personal hygiene/grooming, toileting, housekeeping and home
maintenance, obtaining and using money, time concepts. T dressed very neatly
on both occasions that he was evaluated. He did not appear to need instruction
in dressing/clothing management or personal hygiene. He independently
advocated for himself to go to the restroom and get a drink of water. T had a
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
beginning concept of time with knowing the hands were either minutes or hours,
although he was unable to correctly read the time of the wall clock.
Orientation & Mobility: this includes concept development, body image,
protective techniques, sighted guide, trailing, search patterns for dropped
objects, cane skills, independent travel, public transportation, use of distance
optical devices, etc. T had not received O&M previously and this evaluation is
addressing these areas.
Recreation/Leisure: this includes skills such as individual leisure activities,
group recreational activities, fitness activities, planning rec/leisure activities, etc.
T reported that he does leisure activities outside of the school environment, such
as going to the mall, watching television, and going to the park.
Self-Determination: this includes skills such as self-awareness, decisionmaking, problem-solving, positive self-efficacy, self-advocacy, facilitation of ARD
meeting, ability to describe/explain eye condition, etc. T is very adept as asking
for help and telling others what he needs. He asked for help several times when
a task was difficult. He asked to do a certain activity, such as coloring and if he
could get a drink of water. He demonstrated great self-advocacy skills throughout
the evaluation.
Sensory Efficiency: this includes skills such as choosing appropriate device for
visual task, communicating purpose/function of device, demonstrates
maintenance of optical device, demonstrates knowledge of optical device, and
demonstrates proficiency with using device. Auditory skills include discrimination
of sounds, association of sounds, short term/long-term memory, and listening for
meaning. Tactual skills include exploring tactually, recognizing tactile
characteristics of objects, interpreting graphic information. T appeared to have
good auditory discrimination skills. He followed all directions asked of him,
identified a different sounds in the environment, and did not appear to have
difficulties with discriminating any sounds. Tactually, T could not identify textures
of objects and did not seem to understand this concept. He explored tactually
when he needed to, such as locating the very small balls on the carpet with his
hands rather than eyes, and using his feet to feel for the foot holds on the
playground equipment.
Social Interaction Skills: this includes such skills as awareness of self/others,
cognitive social behaviors, social interactions with peers/adults, accepts/declines
assistance, knowledge of human sexuality. T interacted appropriately with the
evaluator and other peers when observed. He asked for assistance when needed
and did not demonstrate any negative social behaviors.
Technology: this includes skills in technology such as keyboarding skills, use of
computer, screen magnification, screen reader, manual Braille writing/notetaking
device, use of Braille embosser/printer, use of scanner, use of spread sheets,
PowerPoint, how to operate CCTV, managing and securing equipment, etc. T
was not evaluated in this area as this is being addressed with the VI teacher and
through devices in the classroom.
A review of T’s skill level in Expanded Core Curriculum areas revealed a need for some
instruction concerning his independent travel skills in the areas of
Academic/Compensatory Skills, O&M, and Sensory Efficiency. Goals addressing these
skills will be drafted based on ARD decision.
Sample 7: MIVI:
Expanded Core Curriculum: The Expanded Core Curriculum includes a set of
skills that are impacted by vision loss and may require intervention and systematic
instruction.
Orientation and Mobility: This addresses safe and independent travel skills and
orientation within the environment. On the O & M Checklist, S demonstrated
independent skills congruent to her developmental level. S is supervised at all times
due to her age and level of functioning. S was able to find the bathroom, bedroom, and
living room of her home and was able to show where her shoes were kept when asked.
S's nurse said that S is able to find her way around the house independently with no
difficulties although she sometimes runs into door frames or table edges when she is
not paying attention to where she is going. S's nurse felt that S walks better without her
glasses; this may be due to distortion between the lenses and the peripheral view.
Assistive Technology: Technology enhances communication and learning and
expands the world of students with blindness or a visual impairment. At this time, S
does not require any other specialized assistive technology beyond the equipment and
devices currently available to students in the life skills classroom. Ms. T shared that S
loves the IPad. Ms. T and S like to make personalized experience books using the
Story Creator app on the IPad. Ms. T said she also uses a GoTalk board to allow S to
make choices.
Independent Living Skills: This includes skills in personal hygiene, food preparation,
money management, time monitoring and organization. S is fed through a tube and
requires assistance with dressing, toileting, and personal management. S's nurse
reported that S washes her hands with assistance and she cooperates for dressing and
diaper changes. S cooperated with respiratory treatments during the evaluation by
coughing out secretions.
Social Interaction Skills: This addresses age appropriate social skills and how a
student interacts with others, including peers and adults. S was very social and
friendly. She gently pulled people toward her for interactions and gave kisses when it
was time to go. S does not attend class at school or interact with other students due to
her health and has reportedly been much healthier since changing to homebound
instruction.
Compensatory Skills: This includes areas such as concept development, spatial
understanding, and adaptations necessary for accessing all areas of the general
curriculum. S's academic needs are being met through homebound instruction. Ms. T
paired real objects with pictures and sound when teaching S. After listening to a story
on the IPad about a kite, and looking at pictures of a kite, Ms. T allowed S to explore a
real kite. S sat at a desk and attended to Ms. T during instruction. S looked at objects
and pictures at least 1 inch in size.
Career Education: Students with visual impairments have a need to experience
different jobs first hand. At this time S is beginning to learn about schedules and work
by attending homebound instruction 3 times per week. S exhibited career awareness
skills congruent to her functioning level. S's nurse reported that while S does not have
regular chores at home, she assists in putting up her belongings (shoes, toys, etc.)
when asked to do so.
Recreation/Leisure: Students with visual impairments may have difficulty observing
different recreation and leisure skills and may need assistance in developing activities
of interest to build enjoyment throughout their life. S's nurse reported that in her free
time, S enjoys watching her mother and grandmother during daily activities, listening to
digital stories, playing with her IPad, and playing with her toys.
Sensory Efficiency: Sensory efficiency includes the use of residual vision, hearing
and other senses. S used all of her sensory channels to engage in her environment. S
used her vision to look at pictures, scan and find objects, and for visually guided reach.
S followed verbal directions and listened to music and a story on her IPad. S
independently reached for objects placed within her immediate environment.
Self Determination: Self-determination means believing in oneself and understanding
one’s abilities and limitations. S exhibited self-determination skills congruent with her
level of functioning. S communicated her wants and needs by gestures,
shaking/nodding her head, and pointing. She made choices by pointing to pictures on
the IPad.
Sample 8: MIVI/Infant:
Expanded Core Curriculum: The Expanded Core Curriculum includes a set of
skills that are impacted by vision loss and may require intervention and systematic
instruction. The TSBVI EVALS and Communication Matrix were used to identify
areas of strength and need in the areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum.
Compensatory: This area pertains to accessing the general curriculum. A regarded
books particularly when they had reflective properties such as mylar. According to the
EVALS checklist, A had needs in the area of developing basic concepts such as time
concepts, problem solving.
Orientation and Mobility: See Orientation and Mobility screening.
Social Skills: This was an area of strength for A. She differentiated people and showed
recognition of familiar people by smiling and showing excitement for preferred people.
She had recently begun vocalizing more in response to familiar people or activities and
interactions.
Communication and Self-Determination: A was non-verbal and used gestures and non-
verbal responses to communicate the desire for more of an activity or object, to get
attention of a caregiver upon occasion, to express comfort or discomfort, and to reject
items, people, or activities. The SLP reported at a lesson that overlapped on June 4,
2014, that he was working on having A make choices using a multi-switch toy with her
feet as she appeared to have more control over her right foot than when using vision
and a reach. He also stated that he was exploring other switch options as well as the
possibility of visual gaze to make choices but had not observed these to be efficient
methods for communication at this time.
Independent Living Skills: A was an infant at this time and was reliant on others for all
of her care. There were no needs in this area at this time though expanded use of
switches and switch operated devices could later be used to address this area.
Recreation and Leisure: A had clear preferences and a few dislikes. She had a
favorite TV show, liked music, and she enjoyed playing in the “noisy box.” She did not
like some requirements of her during PT sessions, but she was more cooperative when
distracted by singing or music. It was not age appropriate for A to plan her own
activities, and she did not initiate activities or make requests at this time due to
communication and motor challenges.
Career Education: Formal career education was not appropriate at this time due to A’s
age.
Sensory Efficiency Skills: See Learning Media Assessment portion of evaluation.
Assistive Technology: See Assistive Technology section of evaluation.
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