VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 1
individuals who are prelinguistic; tactile approaches and strategies
(including touch cues, tactile signs and tactile sign language); and coaching
adults to improve responsiveness (Bruce, Nelson, Perez, Stutzman, &
Barnhill, 2016). Additionally, there is limited evidence for van Dijk's child-
guided approach for improving dialogue, likely due to the relative difficulty
in conducting studies on its efficacy.
Instructional Programming
Communication intervention grounds all educational programming for
children who are deafblind (Parker, McGinnity, & Bruce, 2012; Parker,
Davidson & Banda, 2007). Thus, the EBPs in communication are
applicable across all instructional programming efforts. The field of
deafblindness has adopted an expansive definition of literacy that extends
beyond the traditional definition that includes reading, writing, and spelling
to also include communication, language, participation in literacy events,
and the application of technologies to support conversations (Bruce &
Borders, in press; McKenzie, 2009; McKenzie & Davidson, 2007). Literacy
lessons include story boxes, daily schedules, authentic choice-making,
experience books, and interactive journals (Ferrell, et al., 2014; Luckner,
Bruce, & Ferrell, 2015/2016). These literacy lessons are both individualized
(including the selection of appropriate instructional targets, modification of
