Equipment Development and Concepts
For fifteen years, Dr. Neilson established theoretical methods and practical materials for blind children who are mentally and physically disabled, functioning at a lower level.
In order to do this, she found it necessary to observe in what way every single child is able to use those senses which are higher functioning. To make a solid theory-based program for a child, first she observed very closely how the child listens and touches, what sort of smell and taste the child prefers and how the child moves, to find out which movements can be defined as kinesthetic or conscious and which movements are not yet kinesthetic, and therefore can be defined as unconscious.
In her opinion, the kinesthetic sense is the most important sense of all since no one can use their other senses without using the kinesthetic sense.
Notes from Dr. Neilson’s Research
The Resonance Board
“The resonance board is designed to give the child a reinforced stimulation every time he moves. Firstly, we introduce the resonance board to the child. The adult sits upon the board with the child in her arms, making some sounds upon the board and then slowly places the child in sitting or lying position directly upon the platform.”
“The adult then places many toys and materials around the child's body, under his feet, his hands and perhaps his head. Every time the child moves, consciously or not, he will come into contact with something with which he will produce a sound, and on account of the plywood, this sound will remain long enough for the child to be aware of the sound and be motivated to act again.”
“Many of our children have learned new movements - learned to raise their heads, to grasp objects, to push objects and to move themselves from one point to another through the use of this resonance platform.”
The Support Bench
“Some children develop very slowly, and this means that the body is growing, making it difficult for the child to go through that stage of development which would help them to sit without support. Non-disabled children will use their arms and legs in a coordinated way. This activity will change the shape of the spine so that the child will gain, in prone position at around 6-8 months of age, the ability to sit without support.”
“To give the child who is developmentally 6-8 months but is chronologically 4 years, 8 years, 10 years or even 17 years old, the opportunity to develop past this stage, we place the child in the prone position upon the support bench. Then the child can begin to move their arms and legs and will be motivated to move if we place many materials near their hands and feet.”
The Little Room
“The Little Room is designed to give the blind child the opportunity to learn about space and to reach for objects. Non-disabled children are reaching for objects at 3-4 months old whilst blind children very often are 10-12 months old before they achieve this ability.”
“Some blind children, instead of reaching for objects, will develop a stereotyped motoric behavior which is turned against their own bodies. It is therefore important to offer an environment which can help the blind child to begin to reach for objects as early in his life as possible.”
“The ‘Little Room’ can be built in a size to fit every child and for every purpose. If we have a blind child who has not yet begun to reach for objects, we will equip the Little Room to enable the child to contact the outside world, however small the movements, and we will try to find out which sort of qualities the child prefers at the moment, like which surfaces the child prefers to investigate, which sounds the child prefers in response to his reaching behavior, or which smell the child prefers in the room .”
“When the child has investigated the walls and the ceiling of the little room, we will begin to build the little room larger so that the child will be motivated to move his whole body around in the room and perhaps move in and out of it, so gaining experiences which in some way are similar to the experiences and understanding about space that non-disabled children gain by building many different caves or playhouses. Blind children are not able to build playhouses or to discover small spaces under furniture, or other enclosed spaces as early in life as they have a need for them.”
