Birth to Three Orientation and Mobility New Mexico Style AER International O&M New Orleans, LA New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Cindy Faris, TVI/L Loreta Martinez-Cargo, COMS Julie Maner, COMS Mark Carter, COMS

NM is a BIG state NM is the fifth largest state in square miles… as large as Wisconsin and Florida combined 125,000 square miles In the NMSBVI B-3 program there are 18 providers (three O&Ms and 15 Developmental Vision Specialists) NM has many rural areas and the urban centers of Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces

DIVERSE POPULATION OVER 50% HISPANIC 10.5% INDIAN CITIZENS 19 INDIAN PUEBLOS 2 INDIAN TRIBES NAVAJO NATION

STATE COLLABORATION NMSBVI B-3 JOINING WITH A SYSTEM OF STATE FAMILY INFANT TODDLER SERVICES: 2000  IDENTIFY MORE KIDS WHO NEED VISION SERVICES  NM DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, FAMILY INFANT TODDLER AND NAVAJO NATION OFFERED SUPPORT AND COLLABORATION  ALLOWED TO BILL MEDICAID FOR SERVICES THROUGH FIT  INTEGRATION OF VISION SERVICES IN AN INDIVIDUALIZED FAMILY SERVICE PLAN

SERVICES  VISION SCREENING TOOL  IDENTIFICATION OF KIDS  SERVICES IN HOME & COMMUNITY  TRAINING & TA FOR EI STAFF  SERVE KIDS “AT RISK” FOR VISION IMPAIRMENT  NM IS ONE OF TWO STATES WHO SERVE KIDS “AT RISK”: MEDICAL, ESTABLISHED CONDITION, ENVIRONMENTAL  VISION AND ORIENTATION AND MOBILITY SERVICES

VISION SCREENING TOOL LOCATED AT:

CHILDREN WE SERVE REFERRALS FROM: EI STAFF EYE DOCTORS  2000 served 40 kids statewide  July 2012 to May 2013 we have provided screenings and services for 1,542 kids  Of 1,542; 721 were screened and 821 were provided ongoing services

HOSPITALS, DOCTORS WE HELP CONNECT FAMILY FROM MEDICAL PROVIDER TO FOLLOWUP SERVICES AROUND THE STATE  PROVIDE VISION SUPPORT TO HOSPITALS FOR INPATIENT AND DISCHARGE  PICU, GPU, NICU  COLLABORATE WITH PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS,PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGISTS, AND NEUROLOGISTS

Services delineated in the IFSP that address purposeful and independent movement in children who are blind, visually impaired or are at risk for visual impairment. Services provided involve the development of skills including concurrent motor skills, sensation, environmental concepts, body image, space/time relationships, and gross motor skills. Orientation and mobility instruction is focused on travel and movement in current environments and next environments and the interweaving of skills into the overall latticework of development. Services include evaluation and assessment of infants and toddlers identified as blind/visually impaired to determine necessary interventions, equipment, and strategies to promote movement and independence. (Skellenger &Sapp, 2010) Orientation and Mobility Definition NM Family Infant Toddler Program

O & M SERVICES SHOULD START WHEN A CHILD IS YOUNG MOVEMENT IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND INCREASES SKILLS IN ALL DEVELOPMENTAL AREAS CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN BY EXPLORING AND MOVING WITHIN FAMILIAR AND NEW ENVIRONMENTS MOVEMENT SHOULD BE DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE O & M SHOULD BE FUN, BECAUSE CHILDREN LEARN BEST THROUGH PLAY CHILD, FAMILY AND TEAM CENTERED O & M IS MOST SUCCESSFUL ACTIVE PARTICIPATION ALLOWS THE CHILD TO LEARN IN A MEANINGFUL CONTEXT. CHILDREN LEARN BEST WHEN THEY ARE ENGAGED IN NATURAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS. NMSBVI B-3 O&M Guiding Principles

James Gibson: ecological approach: “perception is in tune with the properties of the environment that are useful in daily life.” “Perception and action are a cycle: people act in order to learn about their surroundings, and they use what they learn to guide their actions.” Foundations of Orientation and Mobility

“It is important for O&M specialists to help children with visual impairments develop many of the sensorimotor skills that their peers who are sighted learn so easily.” “O&M specialists can do this by encouraging meaningful movement, demonstrating skills using kinesthetic and visual modeling, and providing structured sensorimotor development skills while emphasizing the host of auditory, olfactory, tactile, vestibular, and other sensory inputs that are part of such experiences” Sandra Rosen Volume I, page 171: Foundations of Orientation and Mobility

“Necessity of facilitating the informal, incidental nature of learning when providing orientation and mobility intervention” “The process of orientation and mobility with early childhood learners may be thought of as arranging for the facilitation of travel both in current and in next environments.” “…learning during the early childhood years appears to be a continuous process of give and take between the child and the environment…” (transactional learning) Volume II, Teaching O&M in the Early Years, Skellenger and Sapp Foundations of Orientation and Mobility

Volume II, page 203 Foundations of Orientation and Mobility O&M SkillInfantToddlerPreschooler Public TransportationPlan periodic family “field trips.” Instead of driving… take a city bus, or take a cab to the grocery store occasionally. Continue family “field trips.” Talk with student about what type of transportation you will take, read a story about the type of transportation… Continue family “field trips.” Give the child responsibility for portions of the trip… have him hold the money and hand it to the bus driver as you get on…

NMSBVI Birth – 3 Years Orientation and Mobility Assessment Demographics Functional Vision Results Parent Report Communication Sensory: Auditory/Tactual/Olfactory Gross Motor Fine Motor Quality of Movement Orientation Mobility Concepts Travel Devices Safety and Environmental Awareness Exploration and Learning B-3 O&M assessment in Word: NMSBVI Programs - Family-Infant- Toddler Program under Additional Resources