This course introduces three techniques used with children who have combined vision-hearing loss. This hybrid course is taken in addition to an in-person experience on June 27, 2025 in Lombard, IL.

Topics include:

• Active learning: for whom these instructional strategies are appropriate, and some of the specific physical items and tools that can be made when using the active learning method.

• Personal identifiers: what they are and how they can be used to help children who are deafblind make sense of the people in their life, and 

• Calendars: how to create individualized calendars that teach a variety of concepts and skills. 

Taking this course is one component of earning Illinois State Board of Education and Early Intervention credit (approval requested). Credit provided after the in-person event. Information about the June 27, 2025 Make and Take event in Lombard, IL will be emailed to persons who complete all components of this course. 

This module provides a foundational understanding of what deafblindness is and the diversity of children who are deafblind. It describes the different ways children learn and the importance of identifying deafblindness as early as possible. It also includes information about the Deaf-Blind Child Count, which is critical to obtaining data. Finally, information about the Illinois Deaf-Blind Child Count, and resources for children who are deafblind, their families and the professionals that serve them are shared.

In this course, you will learn how to help young children with dual sensory loss learn to use their hands.

Topics include:

• Hand Development in Young Children
• The Hand Under Hand Technique