VIDBE-Q Volume 64 Issue 4
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increase working memory load (Sebastian, Mayas, Manso, & Ballesteros,
2008). In addition, Pring (1994) explained "in the encoding strategy for
braille, tactual input tends to be successive while with print visual encoding
may take place almost simultaneously" (p. 68). This is true for all haptic
learning; acquiring information requires touching each item or letter
individually, building up a successive process of understanding and
memorizing new items in short-term memory, then in long-term memory
(Hughes, 2011). Discovering and retaining knowledge about body
awareness, real objects, object relationships, and representational symbols
takes significantly longer for a haptic learner (Hatwell, 2003).
The previous studies, although diverse, build a research base that the
field of visual impairment can use to determine if improving haptic
development skills are linked to academic and literacy skills. Improved MRI
allows for studies that confirm neuroplastic changes in the brain functioning
of individuals with early onset blindness that supports compensatory
development in tactile processing (Bauer et al., 2017). Haptic skills develop
as children learn about their world and are exposed to increasingly complex
textures. For example, very young infants may only be able to explore
textures with their mouths or through passive interactions with their hands.
As they grow older and their motor skills improve, educators should expect
