Jared has Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy which affects his central visual field. He has difficulty with clarity of images, low levels of contrast and clutter. When a learner has such challenges within near and distant space, and also has a central field loss, other sensory channels are often reviewed. This determines what will assist the learner’s access to the environment and the materials they use.
Presently, Jared predominantly uses his vision and hearing but a review of his tactile sensitivity was considered beneficial. In Jared’s case both vision, tactile awareness and discrimination were assessed.
A tactile assessment considers tactile discrimination through the sense of touch. It begins with gross discrimination and works towards finer discrimination using the finger pads with Braille. Jared, his whānau and educational team will discuss literacy access and the pathway forward as based on needs.
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