Concept Development
Deafblindness results in gaps in foundational information that is essential for concept development. Identifying and remediating these gaps is necessary for progress in the general curriculum. (Robbie Blaha)
Children who are deaf-blind, particularly those who are deaf-blind from birth, typically have significant difficulty developing concepts. Rather than learning about concepts incidentally as a result of continual exposure to auditory and visual information as most children do, they require the teaching of concepts to be a significant part of their educational programs.
Concepts are different than, but related to, skills. Having certain skills does not mean that a child understands related concepts. Carolyn Monaco, an educator in the field of deaf-blindness, uses an example of doing the laundry to illustrate this difference. A child who is deaf-blind may be able to do laundry—put clothes in a machine, transfer them to the dryer, and fold them—without necessarily grasping the concepts of “clean” and “dirty.” (Miles & McLetchie, 2008)
See also: Experience-Based Learning
Introductory Resources
Learn More
Concept Development and Responsive Environments (OHOA Module)
Offline Resource
Monaco, C. (2002). Concept development. In Alsop, L. (Ed.), Understanding deafblindness: Issues, perspectives, and strategies. SKI-HI Institute.
Reference
Miles, B., & McLetchie, B. (2008). Developing concepts with children who are deaf-blind. The National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness.
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