Guest guest Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Hi , I work at the Perkins School for the Blind where we have many CHARGE kids of different ages and abilities. In my department--the Deafblind Program--our Orientation and Mobility teachers have taught the entire range of kids to use canes with good success. They use a variety of canes and find one that suits the student from the beginning " precane " which has a bar to hold onto with two canes with curved ends on either side to give a wider base ( this isn't a very good description, sorry!) to start learning cane use in a more comfortable way. They then progress on to a regular cane at their own time. So, when the vision specialist says that she wants to start, she is probably confident in 's abilities!!! I would like to forward your message to our O/M specialist and she may have something else to add--would that be alright with you? pam Pamela J. , M.A., CAGS Licensed Educational Psychologist Perkins School for the Blind, Deafblind Program 175 North Beacon St. Watertown, MA 02472 > ---------- > From: CHARGE on behalf of manuula70 > Reply To: CHARGE > Sent: Monday, March 20, 2006 9:08 AM > To: CHARGE > Subject: Using a cane > > HI all, > As you all know, has cerebral palsy (PVL) in additional to > CHARGE and is moderately mentally retarded. He just started receiving > vision services in school and his new instructor would like him to > start using a cane. I am not sure with his physical and mental > abilities if he would be successful with the cane. As it is now, > anything stick-like he uses to either visually stim or whack things > around the house His teacher assures me that she has taught many > severely autistic children to use one and that he will learn to use > one. Was anyone else in the same boat and did your child successfully > learn to use a cane? Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks! > > > > > > > > > CHARGE SYNDROME LISTSERV PHOTO PAGE: > http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2117043995 > > Membership of this email support group does not constitute membership in the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation; for information about the CHARGE Syndrome > Foundation or to become a member (and get the newsletter), > please contact marion@... or visit > the web site at http://www.chargesyndrome.org > > 8th International > CHARGE Syndrome Conference, July, 2007. Information will be available at www.chargesyndrome.org or by calling 1-. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Pam, Thanks for your reply...feel free to forward my message, that would be fine. This instructor is new to both of us, but it's not that I am not valuing her professional opinion, it's just that I keep picturing my son attacking students in the halls with it!! Actually, he continues to surprise me. He was taught to walk sighted guide in his old school and apparently he continued to do so with his new classmates because his teacher (not his VI) asked why he walked behind children and grabbed onto their elbows, which is exactly what he was taught. Also when approaching ascending stairs, she asked why he bunched up his toes to the stair before ascending and that is exactly what his old VI taught him. I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks again for your reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Pam, Thanks for your reply...feel free to forward my message, that would be fine. This instructor is new to both of us, but it's not that I am not valuing her professional opinion, it's just that I keep picturing my son attacking students in the halls with it!! Actually, he continues to surprise me. He was taught to walk sighted guide in his old school and apparently he continued to do so with his new classmates because his teacher (not his VI) asked why he walked behind children and grabbed onto their elbows, which is exactly what he was taught. Also when approaching ascending stairs, she asked why he bunched up his toes to the stair before ascending and that is exactly what his old VI taught him. I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks again for your reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Pam, Thanks for your reply...feel free to forward my message, that would be fine. This instructor is new to both of us, but it's not that I am not valuing her professional opinion, it's just that I keep picturing my son attacking students in the halls with it!! Actually, he continues to surprise me. He was taught to walk sighted guide in his old school and apparently he continued to do so with his new classmates because his teacher (not his VI) asked why he walked behind children and grabbed onto their elbows, which is exactly what he was taught. Also when approaching ascending stairs, she asked why he bunched up his toes to the stair before ascending and that is exactly what his old VI taught him. I was pleasantly surprised. Thanks again for your reply! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Dear , My son started learning to use the cane at age 9 and I too was afraid the cane would be a weapon! But it turned out fine. The Mobility instructor was able to pair him with another boy who was older like in 4th grade (my son is a great follower) and it worked well. He still has some good vision in one eye but what helped the most from this training was his spacial awareness. He stopped getting so close to people and stepping on their heals in line etc...That was a great benefit. Kim/Michigan Using a cane HI all, As you all know, has cerebral palsy (PVL) in additional to CHARGE and is moderately mentally retarded. He just started receiving vision services in school and his new instructor would like him to start using a cane. I am not sure with his physical and mental abilities if he would be successful with the cane. As it is now, anything stick-like he uses to either visually stim or whack things around the house His teacher assures me that she has taught many severely autistic children to use one and that he will learn to use one. Was anyone else in the same boat and did your child successfully learn to use a cane? Any insight would be appreciated! Thanks! CHARGE SYNDROME LISTSERV PHOTO PAGE: http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2117043995 Membership of this email support group does not constitute membership in the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation; for information about the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation or to become a member (and get the newsletter), please contact marion@... or visit the web site at http://www.chargesyndrome.org 8th International CHARGE Syndrome Conference, July, 2007. Information will be available at www.chargesyndrome.org or by calling 1-. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 20, 2006 Report Share Posted March 20, 2006 Kim, thanks for the reassurance! just has so much going on physically that I wasn't sure if he'd be able to comprehend what to do and what it's for. I guess I should give him more credit but I know what a rascal he can be. It's good to hear that it helps with spatial awareness because he has no depth perception and because he has balance problems, he sometimes will seek out support when walking by reaching out for a wall and running his hand along it; hopefully the cane will teach him to better judge that. Thanks again for replying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Chantelle, thanks for sharing your experience with the cane! does look down a lot, too, so I hope this will help him to better navigate around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Chantelle, thanks for sharing your experience with the cane! does look down a lot, too, so I hope this will help him to better navigate around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 21, 2006 Report Share Posted March 21, 2006 Chantelle, thanks for sharing your experience with the cane! does look down a lot, too, so I hope this will help him to better navigate around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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