A vision evaluation and enhancement program was used with 59 elementary multihandicapped students to prevent future problems in educational and social development. Ss with eye-movement difficulties, eye-hand coordination problems and/or difficulty in visual perception skills improved after program participation. (CL)

In a study of contingency awareness in four young severely handicapped, nonambulatory children with voluntary control over eye movements, all children demonstrated longer duration of visual fixation to the sensory stimulation display during sessions of contingent stimulation. (Author/CL)

The author describes specific classroom activities and materials that can be used with visually impaired, multihandicapped children who can function in a group. Objectives, procedures, materials, and possible modifications are listed for activities involving colors, shapes, and gross motor development. (Author/CL)

Assessment of severely multiply handicapped children was completed via formal and informal assessment with data covering medical, ophthalmological, auditory, and educational aspects. Visual functioning was evaluated by considering the type of visual stimulus experienced, varying visual tasks, and student motivation and ability. Auditory evaluation…

Three approaches demonstrated the usefulness of visual feedback and auditory feedback to improve the on-task behavior and academic productivity of deaf multihandicapped adolescents. The approaches feature inexpensive portable equipment that do not require lengthy teacher training. (CL)

Educational case studies of three multiply handicapped blind children (five to ten years old) are presented in a discussion of visual stimulation approaches. Objectives of activities such as coupling a light with a sound-producing object are described. (CL)

This article discusses the increasing incidence of cortical visual impairments, resulting from medical advancements making possible the survival of critically ill children with severe brain damage. Discussed are the prevalence of multiple handicaps, formation of visual concepts, foreground/background distinction, potential for mainstreaming, use…

This article reviews the theoretical and research literature on vision stimulation and vision training of children with severe irreversible visual impairments. It recommends early stimulation to prevent visual deprivation, use of operant conditioning, and the presentation of highly contrasting stimuli to stimulate visual awareness in children with…

Techniques for evaluating the multiply impaired child's functional level of vision are described and a sequence of visual stimulation instruction for children with visual impairments is presented. (PHR)

This article discusses a program that, by emphasizing individuality, integration, adaptability, and functionality (the IIAF model), improves the visual functioning of students who are visually impaired, have multiple disabilities, and function at a severely or profoundly impaired level. Examples of recommended visual learning activities are…

This exploratory study investigated the effects of the components of visual environmental management, visual skills training, and visually dependent task training on the performance of visual behaviors of a toddler with multiple disabilities including cortical visual impairment. Training components were implemented by the mother during daily…

The first of a three volume report on a project to develop and apply quantitative procedures to measure motor and sensory/motor growth in nonhandicapped and severely/multiply handicapped children presents 17 papers delineating ways to measure motor function. The following motoric functions are considered: visual fixation, visual tracking, visual…

The article offers a contextual and functional approach to the development of visual skills in students with concomitant visual and multiple disabilities. A decision-making strategy is provided to aid the vision specialist in maximizing effective intervention. A case study illustrates the decision-making steps. (Author/DB)