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BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

VistaQuest BaseKit Training:

Intervention Resource

PRESENTER & INSTRUCTOR

Kristin Gault

Teacher of Blind and Low Vision Learners

M.A., M.Ed, CVI Range Endorsed

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BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

Where in the world has the VistaQuest

BaseKit been used?

Oregon * Washington * Ohio California * Michigan * Illinois Idaho * Texas * Virginia * Kansas Connecticut * Montana * Florida Arkansas * Georgia * New York Indiana * Pennsylvania *

Ireland * South Korea * Canada

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BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

The VistaQuest BaseKit

The VistaQuest tool to provide support to both the family and educational team.

FAMILY SUPPORT

Empowering Home Routines

Equips parents and caregivers with practical tools, structured activities, and clear guidance for daily life.

EDUCATIONAL TEAM

Multi-Disciplinary Action

Facilitates seamless collaboration across TVIs, therapists, specialists, and classroom educators.

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What VistaQuest Provides

BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

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An understanding of CVI

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An intervention plan filled with strategies

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Activities that incorporate whole-body experiences

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Materials to modify environment and for activities in-class and throughout daily routines

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An approachable, trusted, resource for updated news and information on CVI and consistent intervention

Provide an understanding…

Most educational teams do not understand CVI. In order for team members to have that “buy in” to providing intervention, they need to understand what CVI is, the characteristics, and why intervention is crucial. We need to empower our teachers and para-professionals that what they do with students with CVI is important. We need them to understand what they are working towards. The BaseKit provides this understanding. Training and educating take time and with caseloads being pretty large, this is a HUGE task for any TVI. The BaseKit provides support in this for the TVI.
Provides an explanation of what CVI is for parents.

Intervention Plan filled with strategies…

Targets each of the characteristics with strategies to use. As they are being used, the staff is being familiarized with the strategies and gaining further knowledge/understanding of what CVI is and how it impacts the student.
parent is given a concrete plan with activities ready to use after assessment. Often after a diagnosis, there can be a feeling of being overwhelmed and not knowing what to do next.

Activities…

Activities are specifically designed to target the CVI characteristics and to build those neural pathways incorporating the newest studies of how the brain works. Providing whole-body experiences that incorporate all the sensory modalities to really make an impact in the brain.

Materials..

It takes time to collect materials. This has stopped me in the past of doing more because it was overwhelming with my other students on my caseload. AND I had to think about the environment and was often not prepared. I may have worn black, but this did not always make a difference if positioning were an issue and I couldn’t present the materials in front of my clothes. So, being able to provide materials to modify the environment is an important piece to this kit. Big black cloth, flashlight, black background on back of clipboard.

Ongoing Resource…

I plan to continue to provide new strategies, continue in my own learning, and incorporate what I learn into what I have to offer. I do have a website that will be updated with news and information. I am going to continue to evolve as I learn more… on-going

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Tools Included in the Box

VistaQuest BaseKit

Comprehensive tactile, visual, and assessment tools designed for CVI intervention routines.

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Flashlight & Batteries

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8x10 Black Felt Clipboard

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Large Black Cloth

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Activity Materials

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"Trail Guides" Activity Cards

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CVI Friendly 2D Pictures

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"Trail Routes"

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Pre/Post Assessment Forms

*Dr. Roman's CVI Range

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Data Collection Forms

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CVI Overview & Disclaimer

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Digital Pictures Available

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Detailed Activity Overview

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Red Bird Example

Trail Guide: Red Bird

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Trail Guide: Red Bird

Activity (visual, tactile, auditory)

Present in preferred visual field against a solid background. Use movement and light if needed.
Using movement, move bird around visual fields starting with the preferred field.
Provide wait time.
AFTER student has visually located the bird, make the bird tweet.
Encourage reaching if able. Ask for permission to tap on the elbow and then place bird near hand. Pull back from touching the elbow and wait.
ALWAYS encourage looking before sound.

What can you say? And then wait…

Look! It goes up. Stop! (wait for a response)... then down
Listen…. Be really quiet (make it tweet… wait) Did you hear it?!

BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

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WHY THIS ACTIVITY IS VALID…

Trail Guide: Red Bird

Targeted Outcomes

Primary outcomes:

Attention and attentional control (fixation)
Using vision to locate target within visual field
Practice using ventral stream (conscious) vision vs dorsal stream (passive) vision
Object recognition (salient features to build towards 2D recognition)

Secondary outcomes:

Improvement in selective attention, shift of gaze
Improvement in eye movement (pursuit, tracking across midline)
Facilitate the integration of visual and sensory modalities

Purpose and CVI Areas Addressed

A student with CVI must learn to consciously use their vision to visually select attention to an item (moving from passive vision to active looking). Color and movement are critical elements in creating neural pathways in the brain by stimulating vision and help pull attention to the visual modality. Red is one of the most common colors recognized by students with CVI, thus allowing the student to easily focus on the presented target which lets the student use their vision for visual selection.

Use of Additional Input Modalities to Draw on Use of Vision

Using the bird's tweet, will draw on the brain's auditory processing areas and can further motivate the use of vision as well in order to visually confirm or further identify the origin and cause of sound.

Furtherance of the Trail Guide

Trail Routes are provided in the following pages. These correlate with the Rating II guide of The CVI Range as the student progresses through the Ranges. These activities are examples and show how to expand on the Trail Guides in ways that encourage further vision development.

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Red Bird Trail Routes

Discover: Phase I

Explore: Early Phase II

Blaze: Late Phase II and Phase III

(Based on Rating II Scale by Roman-Lantzy, C. 2018., p. 166-170)

CVI Characteristics	Discover	Explore	Blaze
Impact of Color	Present red bird against black cloth.	Present bird with a different colored hat or headband. Incorporate 1-2 different colors.	Present bird with “clothes” or blankets that have different colors. Does student still attend to bird?
Impact of Movement	Move bird slowly.	Move bird to help fixation, then keep bird still. Does student maintain fixation?	Present bird without movement. Does student notice it?
Wait Time	Wait quietly 15-30 seconds while moving bird.	As student becomes more familiar with bird, “wait time” should decrease.	“Wait time” may occur rarely and may indicate visual fatigue, overstimulation, or an overly complex environment.
Visual Fields	Present bird in preferred visual field, may be right or left sides (peripheral fields). Incorporate color, light, and movement as needed in all routes.	As student is able to use central vision, they can process details more. Use descriptive language to talk about bird as ventral stream (central field) is being activated. Move bird left to right to support tracking and crossing at midline.	Bird can be presented in both lateral fields, central field, and upper field. Lower field may have some challenges, although every student is unique. Move and make bird tweet in different visual fields to see if student can locate bird by the tweets.

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Red Bird

Trail Routes

CVI Characteristics	Discover	Explore	Blaze
Object Recognition	Present bird by itself against the black background.	Using therapy putty or dress-up items put on bird one at a time to highlight different parts of bird. For example, highlight the beak with putty and talk about the beak. Can highlight the eyes, wings, tail, body, and feathers that stand up on head. Teach salient features with this method. Pair 2D picture of bird to actual bird.	Have student identify 2D image of bird and then include 2D images of other objects in kit. Pick one of the objects to hide under black cloth and have student choose image of object they think is hidden. Hide bird at least once. Fun way to pair 2D images with objects. When bird is partially covered, does student still recognize bird?
Impact of Clutter	Present bird against black background. Reduced light in environment may help if there is spotlighting.	Present bird against background with 2-3 different colors. Present with 3-4 other items spaced apart. Present 2D image of bird with 1-2 additional images.	Present bird against multi-patterned and/or multicolored background. Present bird with 5+ items. Present 2D image of bird with additional 3+ images.

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Red Bird

Trail Routes

CVI Characteristics	Discover	Explore	Blaze
Sensory Integration	Present bird in a quiet environment with limited sensory input. After visual fixation occurs, bird can tweet. Student may look away while bird tweets.	See if student will still look at bird with some talking or movement in background. Can student can maintain fixation while bird tweets?	Play with bird in environment with moderate noise and movement. Include peers in playing with bird.
Impact of Light	Shine flashlight on bird and have room dimly lit with no outside light coming in that would distract student. Present on lightbox.	Use light to encourage viewing in different visual fields.	Present bird in room with natural light and see if student will fixate on it. With multiple items being shown, use flashlight to shine on each item to highlight. See if student can identify bird when light shines on it.
Distance	Present bird within arm’s length from student.	Present bird 2-3 feet away. Encourage student to visually locate bird before interacting with it and making it tweet.	Present bird 3-6 feet away. Use a solid background, light, and movement to support distance viewing. Encourage student to visually locate bird before interacting with it and making it tweet.

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Red Bird

Trail Routes

CVI Characteristics	Discover	Explore	Blaze
Visual Curiosity	If bird is new to student, present several times to build familiarity. If student has a preferred red object, present together focusing on shared red characteristic.	Present red bird and use descriptive language to talk about what makes a bird a bird. (beak, wings, feathers, etc…) Show another example of a bird. Present 2D image of bird.	Show several examples of birds and talk about defining features. Show an example of what is not a bird and have student find objects that are birds based on descriptive features (salient features).
Visual Guidance of Upper Limbs	Provide access for student to interact with bird lending support as needed against a non-complex background. Let student know they can touch it and hold it, and then wait. The student may look, look away, and then reach. Add movement and light as needed to support visual fixation.	Student may need less cueing as they become more aware and are able to reach for bird. Student may look and reach at the same time, but then look away as they are touching the bird. If student does not have motor ability to reach on their own, place bird near hand for interaction to occur as student chooses.	Student may be looking and reaching simultaneously most of the time. When student is not doing this, check complexity of background as well as sensory complexity (noise, movement, how student may be feeling, etc…).

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Visual

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Tactile

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Auditory

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Olfactory

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BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

DATA COLLECTION

Student Trail Notes

A structured observation form for recording student interactions, preferences, and physiological responses during BaseKit activities.

Tracked Behavioral Indicators:

Mood & Breath Rate
Motor Response & Vocalizations
Gaze Direction & AAC Usage
Time of Day & Physical Mood

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PRE/POST ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST

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Trail Routes Form

CVI	Discover	Explore	Blaze
Impact of Color
Impact of Movement
Wait Time
Visual Fields
Object Recognition
Impact of Clutter
Sensory Integration
Impact of Light
Distance
Visual Curiosity
Visual Guidance of Upper Limbs

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BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

THE BIG PICTURE

hub

Holistic Integration

The CVI BaseKit is not meant to be used on its own. It is to be incorporated in wholistically meeting the student’s needs.

alt_route

Everyday Application

The knowledge and practice obtained through use of the BaseKit should be extended into the student’s daily routine and across activities, materials, and environments.

Ariel has been using her CVI Base Kit consistently for a couple of months now and is familiar with all the items. Her team has been able to observe what motivates Ariel and how to use this information. The following shows how to apply this now to Ariel’s daily routines.

Visual: Ariel responds well to the gold shiny foil paper and the silver mylar blanket. Using this information, her team is now using these colors and materials to highlight objects she comes in contact with throughout her day, both at home and at school. Her toothbrush has the handle wrapped in the shiny gold foil paper and is situated in the bathroom against a black backdrop so she is better able to visually locate it during her tooth brushing routine. Her eating utensils and cups are also wrapped in shiny gold foil paper to visually support her at mealtimes and snack times. Ariel uses a wheelchair and has minimal motor control, however through using the Base Kit Trail Route suggestions involving the mylar blanket, she has been found to be able to visually locate where she needs to go 4-6 feet away when her team uses pieces of the mylar blanket to highlight doorways and the edges of main pieces of furniture in the areas she accesses on a daily basis. Ariel’s lunch spot is also highlighted by the gold pinwheel taped to the edge of the lunch table where her wheelchair goes.

Auditory: When Ariel is in transition between activities, she tends to use her auditory sense as her primary communication mode. During the various routines, Ariel has been involved in choosing several of the objects from the Base Kit that have an auditory component to help her know what activity is next. She chose the bells to sound when she needs to move to the carpet for circle time. The tweet from the red bird means she has free choice time with the music box being a signal for the activity coming to an end. The thunder tube means it is time for her OT exercises. Each of these objects is presented against a black background so visual support is present, although the primary learning mode during these transitions is auditory.

Tactual: Ariel has an OT come three times a week to work with her in the classroom. Most of the items in the Base Kit incorporate multiple sensory modalities and can be used for OT purposes. Two or three of these items can be placed in Ariel’s preferred visual field for her to choose which OT activity she would like to work on for that session. OT items can include arm bracelet, massager, crinkle paper, essential oils, head scratcher, light-up roller, pop tube, slinky, and squishy balls among others.

As Ariel develops more visual pathways and is able to better interpret what she is looking at, 2D images of all the items can be incorporated into presenting them to her. These images can also be incorporated into her communication system, thus promoting communication in conjunction with use.

Mauricio is in the process of learning the different parts of the body. He has not been able to interpret the symbols for body parts on his communication device. So the team came up with an activity involving the mylar blanket so he could learn about his arms and hands. First he was given a large piece of the blanket just to experience it. This is a whole-body experience in itself as the feel of the blanket, the sounds it makes when touched and scrunched, and what it looks like when interacting with it are all unique. Mauricio was very drawn to the shininess of it. After he had the opportunity to explore the blanket, we placed it on one arm and talked about that arm. We took a picture of that arm on the mylar blanket, and then showed that picture to Mauricio. We did the same thing with his hands. These pictures were then incorporated into his communication system with more success in interpreting what he was looking at than the prior images as he had had a whole body experience involving the mylar blanket while learning about his arms and hands and building that body awareness.

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BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT

Get in Touch

Explore resources and connect with the VistaQuest team.

language

WEBSITE

VistaQuest.org

email

EMAIL US

Kristin@vistaquest.org

Image: https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=trail

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REFERENCES USED IN CREATING THE CVI BASEKIT

Catteneo, Z., & Merabet, L.B. (2015). Brain Plasticity and Development. In Lueck, A.H., & Dutton, G.N (Eds). Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children (pp. 105-123). New York, New York: American Federation for the Blind Press.

Eagleman, D. (2021). Livewired: The Inside Story of the Ever-Changing Brain. New York: Vintage Books.

Eagleman, D. (2015). The Brain: The Story of You. New York: Vintage Books.
Nai. Nai's CVI Perspective: "Bring forth an understanding of CVI from the inside out." https://www.perkins.org/resource/nais-cvi-perspective-bring-forth-an-understanding-of-cvi-from-the-inside-out/
Nai. The CVI Perspecitve. "An Open Letter to all Parents, Professionals, and other Loved Ones of Falks with Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI)" . https://thecviperspective.wordpress.com/home/
Roman-Lantzy, C. (2018). Cortical Visual Impairment: An Approach to Assessment and Intervention. 2nd ed., New York, New York: AFB Press.
Roman-Lantzy, C. & Tietjen, M. (2020). Sensory-Balance: An Approach to Learning Media Planning for Students with CVI. Watertown, MA: Perkins School for the Blind.
Steendam, M. (2015). Improving Functional Use of Vision for Children with CVI and Multiple Disabilities. In Dutton, G. & Lueck, A. Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children (pp. 572-612). New York, New York: American Foundation for the Blind Press.
Zuidhoek, S. (2015). The Role of Attention and Executive Brain Functions in Seeing and Behavior in Children with CVI. In Lueck, A.H., & Dutton, G.N (Eds). Vision and the Brain: Understanding Cerebral Visual Impairment in Children (pp. 124-144). New York, New York: American Federation for the Blind Press.

BUILDING VISION FROM THE VISTAQUEST BASEKIT