Lesson 4 - Building Relationships

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 also be used for group activities. 

Option 1
Why it is absolutely critical for children who are deafblind to develop strong, trusting relationships? 

Option 2
Imagine you are an early intervention provider who is working with a new mom or dad of an infant who is deafblind. The parents tell you they are frustrated because the baby does not seem to make eye contact or respond to their voice. What strategies would you use to help the parents strengthen their bond with the child? For example, what other ways might the baby be responding to their verbal and nonverbal communication? How might the parents build communication with their child into everyday routines?

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 also be used for group activities.

Option 1
Consider how introductions should and should not be done with a child who is deafblind:

• Describe an introduction and initial interaction with an adult that would not be a positive experience for the child. How might the child react to this experience? How could this approach harm the relationship between the adult and the child?
• Describe a positive introduction and initial interaction with an adult. How might the child react to this experience? Why was this a positive experience, and how it might enhance the relationship between the adult and the child?

Option 2
Imagine you are observing an adult interacting with a child who is deafblind. You know that the adult recently met the child and is hoping to build a relationship. You notice that the adult is encouraging the child to play with a toy that the child clearly does not like. What advice might you give the adult to better “read” the child’s emotions? 

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 also be used for group activities. 

Option 1
We know that typically children who are deafblind have good relationships with their parents and other family members, like siblings and grandparents. Why are those relationships not enough for children who are deafblind?
Why can relationships with peers be a significant part of a child’s development and quality of life? 

Option 2
Imagine you are a 4th-grade teacher, and you would like to have a student who is deafblind and a hearing-sighted student in your class work together to complete a project. The student who is deafblind

• Wears a cochlear implant, so he has some hearing
• Is totally blind in the left eye but can see bright objects and shapes with his right eye
• Has use of his hands, although he needs support to keep them steady and to hold on to objects
• Sits in a chair with a back brace and board

You know it can be helpful to talk with the hearing-sighted peer about the student’s specific communication challenges. What might you tell the hearing-sighted child to prepare them to be an understanding and sensitive partner of their peer who is deafblind?

Option 3: If you have access to a child who is deafblind and a peer interacting
Observe a child who is deafblind and a peer interacting. Consider what is happening, no matter how slight, that shows they may be connecting and building a relationship.

For example, do you observe the children

1. Verbally communicating? How do they use their voices (speaking or vocalizing) to interact?
2. Non-verbally communicating? How do they use their faces, hands, and/or bodies to gesture or interact?

Observations could occur at a playgroup or in a classroom or other setting.