Research
Colby’s Growth to Language and Literacy: The Achievements of a Child who is Congenitally Deafblind
Research article using case study approach looking at a young boy who is congenitally deafblind, who developed language and literacy.
Colby’s Growth to Language and Literacy: The Achievements of a Child who is Congenitally Deafblind
Susan Bruce, Amy Randall, Barbara Birge
Teaching Exceptional Children Plus: Volume 5, Issue 2, November 2008
This article tells the story of how Colby, a young boy who is congenitally deafblind, developed language and literacy. Narrative is coupled with video to illustrate how the following four instructional approaches and interventions supported his development: (1) daily schedule, (2) home-school journal, (3) experiential based literacy, and (4) child-guided instruction. Both Colby’s mother and his teachers developed individualized literacy lessons that were delivered with daily consistency. Repetition of highly interesting activities paired with consistent exposure to representations about those activities (expressed in objects, verbalizations, sign language, and braille) supported Colby to literacy.
See The Path to Symbolism on the National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness website to view the videos and read related articles.