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VIDBE - Q Volume 6 4 Issue 1
meaning for him , Mason began to scream and cry and the session was
abruptly terminated. His parents and teacher left the session defeated by
the results that seemed to suggest that Mason incapable learning.
In the 1960's, Dr. Jan van Dijk of the Netherlands was charged with
testing students who were deafblind due to congenital rubella syndrome
(CRS) and he found much frustration in attempting to test the students via
existing instruments. Over time, he discovered that if he observed the
students carefully and joined wit h them in their chosen activities, he was
able to learn much more about the students including how they learn and
can therefore, best be taught. By following their lead, Dr. van Dijk was able
to avoid the unhappy situation experienced by Mason. Using diffe rent
models for explaining behavior and learning including neurobiological,
social learning, transactional, and attachment models, he began developing
what became known as the van Dijk Child - guided Approach to Assessment
(Nelson, van Dijk, McDonnell &Thomp son, 2002; Nelson, van Dijk, Oster, &
McDonnell, 2009).
Because of limitations imposed by the lack of vision, hearing, as well
as frequent motor disabilities, students who are deafblind often have limited
opportunities to learn from incidental or chance le arning through
observation and exploration. Consequently, it is difficult to predict ability to
