VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 4
When a person who is deafblind is participating in physical activity, it is
beneficial to have a trusted support system present. Some of the youth at camp
relied on an interpreter to help them understand the instructions for the tasks. It is
crucial to provide youth with deafblindness a way of communicating before,
during, and after physical activity. Providing a child with deafblindness someone
who is used to communicating with the child or other individuals with similar
diagnoses can help comfort the child and encourage them to participate. One study
found that the number of children in a household positively correlates to the
children's motor abilities (Beach et al., 2021). When the children with
deafblindness are accompanied by trusted faces such as family members and
supporters the children tend to have more motivation to participate in physical
activity which improves their overall motor skills. Often, these children lack many
opportunities to develop their social skills and as a result, have fewer friends.
Children without sensory impairments often participate in physical activity with
friends at places like schools, recreational sports leagues, and around the
neighborhood. Children with dual-sensory impairments might not have these
opportunities to interact with children without sensory impairments if they go to a
specialized school or are not on sports teams. Providing children with opportunities
to be physically active with other people such as at Camp Abilities can motivate
the children to exercise.
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