Learning About Orientation and Mobility

Now that Thomas is becoming a better walker I am starting to do some research into Orientation and Mobility training for him. Currently, Thomas has a vision therapist who is a TVI (Teacher of the Visually Impaired) but not all TVI's are certified in Orientation and Mobility (O&M). Our current vision therapist is not certified in O&M.

walking around the park

So what is Orientation and Mobility? Basically, it's teaching blind people to move safely and independently. I have been wondering many things lately. Is it time to get an Orientation and Mobility specialist or should we continue to only work with our vision therapist? Since Thomas generally walks between 5-12 steps at a time, I wasn't sure if O&M is necessary yet. And when should we introduce a white cane?

But my feeling now is that I don't want to hold him back by not providing him with the right tools and information. I want to get an expert in to give us a good start. It's an understatement to say that Thomas is obsessed with movement. He runs on high speed from the moment he get up until he goes down for a nap. He wants to walk himself or have you walk with him around the house.

when he finally does take a break, he naps hard

If he is walking himself he just goes for little walks in the living room. But if he happens to grab your fingers he is up and trying to pull you up for a walk. He is relentless! When I walk with him I try very hard not to lead him. I just give him a commentary, "now we are walking by the big chair", "we are at the doorway to the kitchen." I'm trying to give him the information he needs to make a good mental map of our house. Already he is so good at leading me where he wants to go. He takes me on a very deliberate path from the living room to the office/playroom and right to his toybox! It's so cute.

I also try to get him used to having his hands in front of him for protection in case he bumps into something. As he is holding my finger I take our hands and run them along the wall or furniture to help orient him.

This is our basic, at home O&M. I am really excited for the real stuff to start. I asked the program coordinator from our Early Intervention provider to set us up with an evaluation with an O&M instructor. She already had someone in mind so I hope an appointment can be arranged soon.

Since Thomas is not yet two years old I feel like he is doing quite well despite all the surgeries and doctor visits he has had to battle through. While his expressive communication is not very strong his receptive communication skills are excellent. He knows exactly what you are saying to him but we have a hard time getting him to use his words to express himself.

Some of his therapists have suggested that he is so focused on movement right now that he is just not interested on working on language. I am hopeful that if I get him more support with him walking and make him more confident in his movement he will be more interested in other things. We will see! Until then I just have to be patient and let him work on things his way.

Tom's signature move HIP HIP HORRAY!

Finally, here is an interesting article I found called, "Orientation and Mobility: Preschool Style." It begins with a basic description of O&M then lists many games and strategies you can use to introduce concepts like body awareness and tactile skills to your young child. There are many fun ideas I plan to try.