This article presents an early intervention model for infants who are deaf-blind that focuses on the significance of infant-caregiver interaction. It proposes intervention strategies to develop contingent responsiveness in caregivers, to promote active learning in infants, to support mutually satisfying exchanges, and to address the exceptional learning needs of these infants.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AffleckG., McGradeB.J., McQueeneyM., and AllenD. (1982). Relationship-focused early intervention in developmental disabilities.Exceptional Children, 49, 259–261.
2.
AinsworthM.D.S., and BellS.M. (1974). Mother-infant interaction and the development of competence. In ConnollyK., BrunerJ.S. (Eds.), The growth of competence (pp. 97–118). London: Academic Press.
3.
AlsH., TronickE., and BrazeltonT.B. (1980). Stages of early behavioral organization: The study of a sighted infant and a blind infant in interaction with their mothers. In FieldT.M., GoldbergS., SternD., SostekA.M. (Eds.), High-risk infants and children (pp. 181–204). New York: Academic Press.
4.
AlsopL. (1993). Resource manual for understanding and interacting with infants, toddlers, and preschool age children with deaf-blindness.Logan, UT: Hope.
5.
AppellM. (1987). Mother-child interaction and the development of preverbal communication. In BullisM. (Ed.), Communication development in young children with deaf-blindness: Literature review III (pp. 103–128). Monmouth: Oregon State System of Higher Education, Teaching Research Division.
6.
AydlettL.A. (1993). Assessing infant interaction skills in interaction-focused intervention.Infants and Young Children, 5(4), 1–7.
7.
BeckerM. (1977). A parent's view. In LowellE.L., RouinC.C. (Eds.), State of the art: Perspectives on serving deaf-blind children (pp. 246–252). Sacramento: California State Department of Education.
8.
BellR.Q. (1974). Contributions of human infants to caregiving and social interaction. In LewisM., RosenblumL.A. (Eds.), The effect of the infant on its caregiver (pp. 1–20). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
9.
BrazeltonT.B., KoslowskiB., and MainM. (1974). The origins of reciprocity: The early mother-infant interaction. In LewisM., RosenblumL.A. (Eds.), The effect of the infant on its caregiver.New York: John Wiley & Sons.
10.
BrinkerR.P., and LewisM. (1982). Discovering the competent handicapped infant: A process approach to assessment and intervention.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 2(2), 1–16.
11.
BromwichR. (1981). Working with parents: An interactional approach.Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
12.
BuckhaltJ.A., RutherfordR.B., and GoldbergK.E. (1978). Verbal and nonverbal interaction of mothers with their Down's syndrome and normal infants.American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 82, 337–343.
13.
CalhounM.L., and RoseT.L. (1988). Social reciprocity interventions with infants with severe retardation: Current findings and implications for the future.Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 23, 340–343.
14.
CaudillB. (1993). Family services: Parent representative III. In ReimanJ.W., JohnsonP.A. (Eds.), Proceedings from the National Symposium on Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind (pp. 81–84). Monmouth, OR: Teaching Research Publications.
15.
ChenD. (1993). Early intervention: Presentation. In ReimanJ.W., JohnsonP.A. (Eds.), Proceedings from the National Symposium on Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind (pp. 37–44). Monmouth, OR: Teaching Research Publications.
16.
ChessS., KornS.J., and FernandezP.B. (1971). Psychiatric disorders of children with congenital rubella.New York: Brunner/Mazel.
17.
ClarkG., and SeiferR. (1983). Facilitating mother-infant communication: A treatment model for high-risk and developmentally-delayed infants.Infant Mental Health Journal, 4, 67–82.
18.
ClarkG.N., and SeiferR. (1985). Assessment of parents’ interactions with their developmentally delayed infants.Infant Mental Health Journal, 6, 214–225.
19.
CrawleyS.F., and SpikerD. (1983). Mother-child interactions involving two-year-olds with Down syndrome: A look at individual differences.Child Development, 54, 1312–1323.
20.
Dote-KwanJ., and HughesM. (1994). The home environments of young blind children.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 88, 31–42.
21.
DunstC.J., CushingP.J., and VanceS. (1985). Response-contingent learning in profoundly handicapped infants: A social systems perspective.Analysis and Intervention in Developmental Disabilities, 5, 33–47.
22.
DunstC.J., LeskoJ.J., HolbertK.A., WilsonL.L., SharpeK.L., and LilesR.F. (1987). A systemic approach to infant intervention.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 7(2), 19–37.
23.
FieldT.M. (1978). The three R's of infant-adult interactions: Rhythms, repertoires and responsivity.Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 3, 131–136.
24.
FieldT.M. (1979). Games parents play with normal and high-risk infants.Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 10, 41–48.
25.
FieldT.M. (1982). Interaction coaching for high-risk infants and their parents. In MossH.A., HessR., SwiftC. (Eds.), Prevention in human services (pp. 5–24). New York: Haworth Press.
26.
FraibergS. (1974). Blind infants and their mothers: An examination of the sign system. In LewisM., RosenblumL.A. (Eds.), The effect of the infant on its caregiver (pp. 215–232). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
27.
FraibergS. (1977). Insights from the blind.New York: New American Library.
28.
FredericksH., and BaldwinV. (1987). Individuals with sensory impairments: Who are they? In GoetzL., GuessD., & Stremel-CampbellK. (Eds.), Innovative program design for individuals with dual sensory impairments (pp. 3–15). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
29.
FreemanP. (1985). The deaf-blind baby: A programme of care.London: William Heinemann Medical Books.
30.
GoetzL., and GeeK. (1987). Teaching visual attention in functional contexts: Acquisition and generalization of complex motor skills.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 81, 115–117.
31.
GoldbergS. (1977). Social competency in infancy: A model of parent-infant interaction.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 23, 163–177.
32.
GreenbergM., CalderonR., and KuscheC. (1984). Early intervention using simultaneous communication with deaf infants.Child Development, 55, 607–616.
33.
HallA., and BaileyI.L. (1989). A model for training vision functioning.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 83, 390–396.
34.
HaneyM., and KleinD. (1993). Impact of a program to facilitate mother-infant communication in high-risk families of high-risk infants.Journal of Childhood Communication Disorders, 15(1), 15–22.
35.
HoldgraferG., and DunstC.J. (1986). Communicative competence: From research to practice.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 6(3), 1–22.
36.
HyvarinenL. (1988). Vision in children: Normal and abnormal.Meaford, Ontario: Canadian Deaf-Blind and Rubella Association.
37.
JonesO.H. (1980). Prelinguistic communication skills in Down's syndrome and normal infants. In FieldT., GoldbergS., SternD., SostekA.M. (Eds.), High-risk infants and children: Adult and peer interactions (pp. 205–225). New York: Academic Press.
38.
KekelisL., and AndersonE. (1984). Family communication styles and language development.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 78, 54–65.
39.
LewisM. (1978). The infant and its caregiver: The role of contingency.Allied Health and Behavioral Sciences, 1, 469–472.
40.
LewisJ., and GoldbergS. (1969). Perceptual-cognitive development in infancy: A generalized expectancy model as a function of the mother-infant interaction.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 15, 81–100.
41.
LundervaldD., LewinL., and IrvinL. (1987). Rehabilitation of visual impairments: A critical review.Clinical Psychology Review, 7, 169–185.
42.
Maestas y MooresJ. (1980). Early linguistic environment: Interactions of deaf parents with their infants.Sign Language Studies, 26, 1–13.
43.
MahoneyG. (1983). A developmental analysis of communication between mothers and infants with Down syndrome.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 3(2), 63–76.
44.
MahoneyG. (1988). Communication patterns between mothers and mentally retarded infants.First Language, 8, 157–171.
45.
MahoneyG., FingerI., and PowellA. (1985). The relationship of maternal behavioral style to the developmental status of organically impaired mentally retarded infants.American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 90, 296–302.
46.
MahoneyG., RobinsonC., and PowellA. (1992). Focusing on parent-child interaction: The bridge to developmentally appropriate practices.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 12(1), 105–120.
47.
MarfoK. (1992). Interaction-focused early intervention: Current approaches and contributions from the mediated learning experience paradigm.International Journal of-Cognitive Education and Mediated Learning, 2(2), 1–20.
48.
McGinnesJ., and TreffreyJ. (1982). Deaf-blind infants and children: A developmental guide.Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
49.
MichaelM.G., and PaulP.V. (1991). Early intervention for infants with deaf-blindness.Exceptional Children, 57, 200–210.
50.
MurdochH. (1994). The development of infants who are deaf-blind: A case study.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 88, 357–367.
51.
NeilsenL. (1992). Educational approaches for visually impaired children.Copenhagen: SIKON.
52.
NorrisJ.A. (1991). Providing developmentally appropriate intervention to infants and young children with handicaps.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 11(1), 21–35.
53.
OdomS.L. (1983). The development of social interchanges in infancy. In GarwoodS.G., FewellR. (Eds.), Educating handicapped infants: Issues in development and intervention (pp. 215–254). Rockville, MD: Aspen.
54.
PowerD., WoodD., WoodH., and MacDougallJ. (1990). Maternal control over conversations with hearing and deaf infants and young children.First Language, 10, 19–35.
55.
RameyC.T., StarrR., PallasJ., WhittenC.F., and ReedV. (1975). Nutrition, response-contingent stimulation, and the maternal deprivation syndrome: Results of an early intervention program.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 21, 45–53.
56.
RatnerN., and BrunerJ. (1978). Games, social exchange, and the acquisition of language.Journal of Child Language, 5, 391–401.
57.
RichardsN.B. (1986). Interaction between mothers and infants with Down syndrome: Infant characteristics.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 6(3), 54–71.
58.
RogersS., and PuchalskiC.B. (1984). Social characteristics of visually impaired infant's play.Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 3(4), 52–56.
59.
RogersP.T., and RoizenN.J. (1991). A life-cycle approach to management of Down syndrome. In CaputeA.J., AccardoP.J. (Eds.), Developmental disabilities in infancy and childhood (pp. 441–451). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
60.
RoseT.L., and CalhounM.L. (1990). The Charlotte Circle Project: A program for infants and toddlers with severe/profound disabilities.Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 175–185.
61.
RosenbergS.A., and RobinsonC.C. (1986). Enhancement of mother's interactional skills in an infant educational program.Education and Training of the Mentally Retarded, 20, 163–169.
62.
RowlandC. (1983). Patterns of interaction between three blind infants and their mothers. In MillsA. (Ed.), Language acquisition in the blind child (pp. 114–132). San Diego, CA: College Hill Press.
63.
SameroffA.J., and ChandlerM. (1975). Reproductive risk and the continuum of caregiving casualty. In HorowitzF., HetheringtonM., Scarr-SalapatekS., & SeigelG. (Eds.), Review of child development research (Vol. 4, pp. 187–245). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
64.
SeligmanM. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development and death.San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.
65.
SpencerP., Bodner-JohnsonB., and GutfreundM. (1992). Interacting with infants with a hearing loss: What can we learn from mothers who are deaf?Journal of Early Intervention, 16(1), 64–78.
66.
SpencerP., and GutfreundM. (1990). Characteristics of “dialogues” between mothers of prelinguistic hearing-impaired and normally-hearing infants.Volta Review, 97, 351–360.
67.
StevensonM.B., LeavittL.A., and SilverbergS.B. (1985). Mother-infant interaction: Down syndrome case studies. In HarelS., AnastasiowN.J. (Eds.), The at-risk infant: Psycho/social aspects (pp. 389–395). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
68.
SullivanM.W., and LewisM. (1990). Contingency intervention: A program portrait.Journal of Early Intervention, 14, 367–375.
69.
TannockR. (1988). Mothers’ directiveness in their interactions with their children with and without Down syndrome.American Journal of Mental Retardation, 93, 154–165.
70.
UrwinC. (1983). Dialogue and cognitive functioning in early language development of three blind children. In MillsA. (Ed.), Language acquisition in the blind child (pp. 142–161). San Diego, CA: College Hill Press.
71.
UrwinC. (1984). Communication in infancy and the emergence of language in blind children. In SchiefelbuschR.L., PickarJ. (Eds.), The acquisition of communicative competence (Vol. 8, pp. 479–524). Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
72.
Van DijkJ. (1966). The first steps of the deaf-blind child towards language.International Journal for the Education of the Blind, 15(4), 112–114.
73.
Van DijkJ. (1982). Rubella handicapped children: The effects of bi-lateral cataract and/or hearing impairment on behaviour and learning.Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.
74.
Van DijkJ., CarlinR., and HewittH. (1991). Persons handicapped by rubella. Victors and victims: A follow-up study.Lisse, The Netherlands: Swets & Zeitlinger.
75.
WalkerJ. (1982). Social interactions of handicapped infants. In BrickerD. (Ed.), Intervention with at-risk and handicapped infants: From research to application (pp. 217–232). Austin, TX: PRO-ED.
76.
WalkerJ.A., and KershmanS.M. (1981, April). Deaf-blind babies in social interaction: Questions of maternal adaptation. Paper presented at the biannual meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Boston.
77.
WalkerJ., LevineM., and GrasseB. (1982). Maternal language in teaching and play interactions with handicapped babies.Journal of the Division for Early Childhood, 5, 86–96.
78.
WatsonJ.S. (1979). Perception of contingency as a determinant of social responsiveness. In ThomanE. (Ed.), Origins of the infant's social responsiveness (pp. 33–63). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
79.
WatsonJ.S., and RameyC.T. (1972). Reactions to response-contingent stimulation in early infancy.Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 18, 219–227.
80.
Wedell-MonnigJ., and LumleyJ. (1980). Child deafness and mother-child interaction.Child Development, 51, 766–774.
