Facilitating Development with the Aid of Sensory Stimuli - Term Paper Example

Sensation and Perception Outline Perceptual Development a) Facilitating development with the aid of sensory stimuli b) The definition of hearing loss c) The preferences for sensory stimuli 2) Auditory Development a) Auditory stimuli features b) Acquiring speech and language through the use of audition c) Typically developing infants having auditory milestones developed for them 3) Visual Development a) Visual stimuli features b) Facilitating communication through vision c) Visual development features d) Typically developing infants having visual milestones developed for them e) Deaf or hard of hearing infants or toddlers being administered visual cues 4) Touch a) Touch features b) Value of touch when it comes to learning c) Value of touch when it comes to communication d) Touch cues for infants or toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing 5) Sensory Integration Perceptual Development There are a number of standards that must be addressed when it comes to the topic of perceptual development. Some of these are as follows: Knowledge of infant development theories, prenatal development, current research on brain development. Knowledge of characteristics and stages of development including the range of individual differences. Knowledge of effect of environmental and biological risk conditions on development. Knowledge of influences of particular disability or multiple disabilities on development. Knowledge of the influences of social and physical environments upon infants and toddlers development. (Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1) Facilitating Development with the Aid of Sensory Stimuli According to Proctor and Compton (2009, pg. 1), "Perceptual development provides the foundation for interpreting the events of the world around us. Stimuli from the environment that evoke sensory experiences of hearing, seeing, and touching promote brain growth and development. For infants/toddlers with hearing loss, auditory input is limited or distorted; consequently, they are at risk for delays in speech and language development. Learners will demonstrate knowledge of perceptual development and the role of auditory development, visual development, and touch, supportive of growth and development in infants/toddlers with and without hearing loss, through reading module content and completing the following activities: - Two web investigative activities, - Three discussion questions, and - Eighteen short-answer items." The following is a pre- and post- self-report that can be used to evaluate the confidence of these issues in individuals: Figure 1: Pre and Post Self-Report Pre & Post Self-Report (1= not confident, 2=somewhat confident, 3=confident, 4=very confident) 1. I feel _________in my knowledge of perceptual development. 2. I feel _________in my knowledge of auditory development. 3. I feel _________in my knowledge of visual development. 4. I feel _________in my knowledge of the role of touch in development. 5. I feel _________in my knowledge of the role of auditory development. visual development and touch relative to language development of infants/toddlers with hearing loss. Source: Proctor and Compton (2009, pg. 1) An important part of perceptual development is sensory stimuli. "Sensory stimuli provide the medium through which babies learn about the world and its operation. Developmental progression in infants or toddlers is highly dependent on access to sensory information in the environment. Perceptual development occurs as infants explore and identify invariant features in the environment, discovering properties of and relationships between features. Language development evolves out of these sensory experiences that contribute to cognitive growth and development" (Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1). The Preferences for Sensory Stimuli Typical infants develop their brain circuits and neural pathways during the first year. At this point in their lives, they can hear their mother's footsteps or voice as she approaches them. They lie in anticipation of her coming nearer, even directly after a nap. Anxiety and stress in infants can be soothed away from the nurturing, direct, skin-to-skin touch of their mothers. This is because, during this experience, their brains release endorphins. Babies' brains grow a little stronger and more perceptive every single time they receive a stimulus. According to Proctor and Compton (2009, pg. 1), "Every time babies experience new stimuli, their brains are fine-tuned to quickly interpret and process similar experiences. During the first three months of life, infants' brains respond to the world of sensation with greater electrical activity in areas of the brain responsible for coding stimuli of sights, sounds, and touches. As perceptual development proceeds infants learn to associate stimuli with particular activities and anticipate events. For example, babies learn that father's entry into the home suggests that he can anticipate touches and hugs. Such experiences provide the foundation for interpreting and making sense of the world. For infants and toddlers who are deaf/hard of hearing, the extent of hearing loss and/or amplification determines whether they rely primarily on hearing or vision, or combined input from both modalities to interpret their environment and gain understanding in the world around them." The Definition of Hearing Loss Hearing loss is exactly what it sounds like: the inability to hear on a progressively downward scale. It does not get any better on its own-only worse. It can, of course, be lessened and made more comfortable with hearing aids. It can occur prior to a baby acquiring language skills, or it can occur after a baby acquires language hearing loss. Decibels are the units through which hearing loss is measured. The higher the measure of the decibel, the greater the hearing loss in a particular individual. According to Proctor and Compton (2009, pg. 1), "Hearing loss influences children's preferences for gathering sensory information that support and shape cognitive linguistic development. Since varying degrees of auditory information are available for children with hearing loss, a need exists to maximize visual and kinesthetic intake of environmental information. Knowledge of these sensory modalities supports an understanding of an infant's or toddler's ability to interpret, integrate and respond to environmental information. By exploring the contributions of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic development to perceptual development, a professional can understand the strengths that infants or toddlers "bring to the table". Therefore development in three sensory modalities is described." Auditory Development Auditory Stimuli Features and Acquiring Speech and Language through the Use of Audition The auditory system first starts developing in the womb at 20 weeks. Babies come into the world bombarded by stimuli and auditory information about it is readily available to them in bundles. This gives them the ability to associate a particular person or setting with obtaining knowledge. Babies learn to explore at this phase, and throughout this process, they learn to determine meaning for and categorize information (Goldstone, 1998). Typically Developing Infants Having Auditory Milestones Developed for Them "Auditory development involves an ability to identify discrete units of speech and sound within the experience of continuous sound input. Spoken language grows out of this experience. As infants experience sound, the auditory cortex explodes with new connections and growth. For infants/toddlers with hearing loss who are identified prior to six months and receive appropriate early intervention services, language development can proceed similarly to peers. Language development commensurate with non-verbal development can be a reality for infants with hearing loss whose families receive early intervention services. Therefore, an understanding of typical auditory milestones and development is critical in supporting an infant/toddler's prelinguistic communication and developmental progression." (Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1). Visual Development Visual Stimuli Features The most underdeveloped sense in newborns is vision. It does, however, aid them in exploring their world and gaining spatial awareness, along with developing orientation and coordination. Visual development has a number of core features, which can be described as follows: Acuity Color perception Focusing and tracking ability Depth perception Pattern Recognition Object perception (Proctor and Compton, 2009, Gilbert, 1996, and Bertenthal, 1996) Facilitating Communication through Vision Objects that are closer to an infant's eyes are easier for him or her to discern or recognize because a one month old infant has a visual acuity of 20/600. This means that infants communicate better and interact better when held approximately eight inches away from their caregivers. This is because babies can read the facial expressions of their caregivers at this distance (Carey, 2000). "Babies can best experience caregiver's facial expressions at this distance. Talking, smiling, and interacting with baby are visual and auditory activities that support development across visual and auditory modalities. In the first month, newborns enjoy large, bold patterns by scanning their borders. Infants understand the size of objects...An infant's ability to differentiate and isolate visual stimuli contributes to understanding the environment and gives meaning to experiences. For infants/toddlers who are deaf/hard of hearing, possible visual cues to gain attention of the child include, pointing or waving in child's visual field, tapping objects such as the floor or table. The visual field contributes to information received from other modalities such as touch, increasing a child's understanding of his/her environment. However, visual development occurs over many years and is described as it reflects overall age trends "Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1). The age of three months is significant because an infant suddenly is able to do certain things he or she could not do before. Some of these things include, but are not limited to, the following: The retina begins to focus clearly Infants can see their parents faces clearly instead of just novel objects around the room They respond to depth cues They can recognize a photo of their mother They can perceive color They see objects as three-dimensional Patterns with fine detail are discernable The child perceives features of the environment such as motion and spatial dimension to identify things (Proctor and Compton, 2009) Touch Touch Features "Babies come into the world with the ability to experience touch, temperature changes, and pain. The experience of touch is the most basic of human needs and validates the infant's existence, affirming his presence as valued. Touch provides stimulation and consequently contributes to development. However, each infant is unique in preferences for how he likes to be stroked, held, and patted. Caregivers who explore the use of touch with infants can learn an infant's preference and communicate positive regard using this modality" (Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1). Value of Touch When It Comes to Learning The toddler's worldly experience is guided by touch. As he or she moves around through his or her environment, he or she explores objects. These objects have kinesthetic properties and the toddler categorizes them appropriately in his mind. Babies first explore objects with their thumbs. Touch communicates trust to an infant or toddler. "Massage has been used with infants and toddlers to encourage positive interactions with caregivers thereby supporting the infant's development of self-esteem. In addition, massage lowers stress hormones, anxiety levels and is often used to improve outcomes for children under treatment for such conditions as diabetes, cancer, and asthma. Massage therapy improves an infant's mood or a toddler's sociability, and attentiveness to auditory-visual stimuli. For infants/toddlers who are deaf and hard of hearing, touch provides cues and information that facilitate understanding of their social environment" (Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1). Sensory Integration "Sensory integration is the ability of the brain to gather, organize, and synthesize environmental information available from the senses to interpret and determine meaning from events. For infants and toddlers who are deaf/hard of hearing, processing limited or distorted auditory stimuli may present sensory integration issues. Upon the recommendation of a health professional, parents of an infant/toddler with hearing loss may employ an occupational therapist to address sensory integration issues" (Proctor and Compton, 2009, pg. 1). Parents may not wish to rely on this too heavily, however, as positive account of sensory integration have been shown to occur during therapy (Proctor and Compton, 2009). References Bertenthal, B. (1996). Origins and early development of perception, action, and representation. Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 47. Carey, S. (2000). The origin of concepts. Journal of Cognition and Development, Vol. 1. Gilbert, DK. (1996). Age-related differences in perceptual learning. Human Factors, Vol. 38. Goldstone, RL. (1998). Perceptual learning. Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 49. Mandler, JM and L McDonough. (2000). Advancing downward the basic level. Journal of Cognition and Development, Vol. 1. Proctor, R and MV Compton. (2009). Perceptual development. CENTe-R. Retrieved April 28, 2009, from http://center.uncg.edu/content/v2/m3/m3_learner.pdf Van De Walle, GA, S Carey, and M Prevor. (2000). Bases for object individualization in infancy: Evidence from manual search. 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