Lesson 3 - Symbolic Communication

Instructors: The following activities can be adapted for a variety of purposes. For example, have participants turn in written or posted responses, or use the topics and questions as discussion starters. Some can be used for group activities.

Option 1
You learned in this section that the ability to communicate with symbols is a major developmental step for children who are deafblind. Explain what symbolic communication allows a child to converse about that other forms, like gestures, body movements, and vocalizations, do not. Include specific examples in your response.

Option 2

In this section, you’ve learned about the following types of symbols:

1. Concrete symbols
2. Abstract symbols
3. Identical object symbols
4. Partial object symbols
5. Two-dimensional visual symbols
6. Tactile symbols

Answer the following questions:

1. What are the characteristics of each of these symbol types? 
2. Describe an example of a concrete symbol and an abstract symbol that refer to the same thing.
3. Describe an example of an identical object symbol and a partial object symbol that refer to the same thing.
4. Describe an example of a two-dimensional symbol and a tactile symbol that refer to the same thing.

Instructors: The following activities can be adapted for a variety of purposes. For example, have participants turn in written or posted responses, or use the topics and questions as discussion starters. Some can be used for group activities.

Option 1
Suppose a child you are working with is totally blind and has moderate hearing loss. The child has excellent mobility and fine motor skills. You want to see if this child can learn the meanings of a few symbols. Explain which kind of symbol you will use to begin this process and why. What kinds of symbols would not be appropriate for this child and why?

Option 2
A three-year-old child you are working with uses object symbols of a bowl and a diaper. Another child of the same age uses two-dimensional picture symbols of a bowl and a toilet. For each, which of these symbols might you want to reconsider using as the child ages? Explain your reasoning. Then, describe an object symbol and a two-dimensional picture symbol the children could use instead.

Option 3
Imagine you are an early intervention provider for a two-year old child who is deafblind. The child has very limited vision and wears cochlear implants. Over the past year, you have worked with the family to teach the child to understand a few object symbols. You pay a visit one day, and see that the child’s mom is using a tiny plastic bathtub as a symbol for bathtime. She is frustrated that even though she’s been using the symbol consistently for more than a week, the child has been unable to make the connection. What would you discuss with her to help her choose a better symbol for “bathtime”?

Instructors: The following activities can be adapted for a variety of purposes. For example, have participants turn in written or posted responses, or use the topics and questions as discussion starters. Some can be used for group activities.

Option 1
In this section, you met Maryn’s speech language pathologist, Debbie, and Jaxson’s mom, Donia. You learned how each child’s communication developed over the years. What are some strategies Debbie and Donia used to support communication development?

Option 2
In this section, you learned how the pairing strategy can support a child’s move to more advanced abstract symbol use. Imagine that you are working with a child who is deafblind either in school or at home. How could you use pairing to support their use of an advanced abstract symbol? 

In your response, describe

1. The child’s age and their sensory abilities
2. The symbols you would use for pairing and why you selected them (e.g., do they match how the child accesses information?) 
3. How you would use pairing with these symbols in an activity