Voice through touch: communication through haptic perception

Abstract

Haptic perception refers to the sensations that one has, through touch, to discriminate and identify objects when handling them without the use of vision. Thus, a keychain of reference objects and concrete representations of yes and no is presented, to investigate: how to implement the use of these resources so that they are meaningful for a child with multiple disabilities and visual impairment? From this question, the following objectives can be inferred: to encourage the child’s engagement in routine school activities, to offer options for choices and to encourage the expression of yes and no. Method: experience report carried out between March and September 2024, with a six-year-old boy as a participant, blind, with complex communication needs and with very reduced motor mobility. Results and discussion: despite the absences, due to health issues, the child made choices between two items through the concrete representations of yes and no. In addition, the keychain was used within contexts that gave meaning to each object. Final considerations: touch is essential in social and cognitive domains and involves a complex system made up of different sensations. Reference objects are resources that can promote the development of haptic skills in children with multiple disabilities and visual impairment and complex communication needs, as long as they are used consistently.
Keywords: Multiple disabilities and visual Impairments. Complex communication needs. Reference objects.