Strategies to Support Language Acquisition in Children with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) and Additional Support Needs (ASN)

Course evaluation summary

Number of Participants: 29
Number of Respondents: 10

Overall Assessment:

Will you do anything differently as a result of this webinar?

Wait time!
Share the slides.
Not at the moment.
I will link more closely with our VI team next term to improve the experiences for learners with CVI in my class. I will look into developing a visual profile for each pupil.
Yes, I will consider my surroundings more carefully when I work with certain pupils.
I will be more conscious of the development of the child and use communication methods appropriate to their stage.
I had thought of trialling word bubbling but it has made me think more carefully about it.
Try to look at a copy of the functional skills assessment tool mentioned in the webinar.
Further reading into CVI and plan to liaise more with visual impairment teacher regarding the introduction and presentation of visuals for children on my caseload.
This is a new area for me so it will now enable me to engage in conversations and provide (some) advice.

What was best about the event?

Objects of reference link.
Very informative.
Very clear and well set out.
The content.
It was a great reminder of things I had covered previously but which are more relevant now due to changes in my caseload.
The section discussing what age children should be developmentally to achieve specific skills.
Some good discussion around symbols and pictures which I was hoping for due to have one of my pupils beginning to use boardmaker and I felt he was only using the colours.
Low Price - good time of day.
Practical tips on consideration of environment and processing time when presenting OoR and on body signs.
Varied content included. Background, references to experts, some of the theory, strategies.

What, if anything, could have been improved about the event?

Presentation could be shared.
I had misunderstood slightly and thought it had relevance to visual impairment.
I had no sound at the beginning.
Being able to print slides in advance which would enable me to scribble notes on them during the presentation.
There was a wealth of information on CVI packed into the hour and it was good to hear all this again, especially as I see pupils with CVI regularly. I had hoped to dig a bit deeper with communication as I still feel challenged when communicating with pupils with CVI and complex needs.
I was hoping for some more practical ideas for communication aids for might suit some children with CVI. Such as apps or symbols which had been seen to be used successfully. Obviously, every child is different but some ideas being used would be good.
The 'thread' to the webinar seemed to be lost - it seemed to be more on CVI than it was on communication - plus the original title was 'strategies for language acquisition' - I don't think the 'strategies' were made explicit enough - was the message make sure you present the right type of resources (object/picture/outline) only when the child is developmentally ready and follow (existing) CVI strategies - colour, contrast, distractions free environment etc? Was the 'language acquisition' part about supporting spoken language with objects and flashcards initially? This wasnt anything new.
Fast pace - was difficult to make notes on everything I would have liked to before a slide moved on, however, the recording provided will be really useful to be able to revisit the information.
Nothing - it was perfect for someone with my level of knowledge (i.e. very little)

How did you hear about this course?

Course Info Email from SSC: 5
Colleague: 3
Co-ordinator/Line Manager: 1
Other: VIEW: 1

What other CPD training would you like the SSC to provide?

Strategies to support Blind pupils with Learning difficulties in mainstream schools.
Supporting deaf pupils with complex needs.
Sensory ideas for working with children with complex needs as I feel I do a lot of the same things over and over.
I still feel unsure of activities that I can do with pupils with CVI and complex needs and would welcome a course that gives some suggestions. I still feel my activities are too random rather than properly structured and planned.
CVI range and practical ideas how we can support children in each of these ranges.
Practical ideas for literacy/numeracy tasks to support children with CVI.
How to support Language Acquisition in young VI learners!

Technical Feedback

How would you rate the webinar technology? 4.4/5

Any comments on the technical aspects

I had difficulty hearing.
Seamless - liked the Blackboard interface.
I couldn't access the webinar for 40 minutes for some reason (on three devices - lucky to have three). The recording was fab though and made up for it as I could stop and start :).