Tools for Assessment and Development of Visual Skills

Tools for Assessment and Development of Visual Skills

SQUIRE ToAD'S PUZZLE BOOK

Elaine Kitchel, M.Ed. Project Leader

LaRhea Sanford, Ed.D, Consultant

Rebecca Burnett, Ed.D, Consultant

Erica Rucker Project Assistant

Grateful Acknowledgement is Hereby Given to:

David McGee, Technical Research
Frank Hayden, Technical Research
James Robinson, Technical Research
Tom Poppe, Model Maker
Cary Crumpton, Planning Advisor
Lila Adkins, Large Print
Steve Paris, Production Advisor
Anna Fox, Cost
Phyllis Williams, Inventory
David Hines, Engineering
Tony Grantz, Sales
Pat Packer, Braille

Steve Mullins, CD Production
David Manteuffel, Purchasing
Larry Skutchan, Programming
Sandy Maerz, Purchasing
Jack Decker, Vice President
John Aicken, Educational Research
Valerie Cox, Educational Research
Bisig Impact Group, Graphic Design
Matthew Smith, Educational Research
Erica Rucker, Educational Research
Rita Mudd, Braille Transcription

and

M. Beth Langley, M.S.
Millie Smith, M.Ed.
Tristan Pierce, M.A.
Rebecca Burnett, Ed.D.
LaRhea Sanford, Ed.D.

for providing talent, expertise, knowledge, and hard work on the ToAD project.

Important Notice

Squire Toad's Puzzle Book should be used either for functional vision assessment or vision development activities for a given student. It should never be used for both purposes for an individual child.

It is also recommended that very young and multiply-involved children spend no more than 20 minutes in one sitting on Squire Toad's Puzzle Book.

All materials contained in Squire Toad's Puzzle Book are copyrighted and owned by the American Printing House for the Blind. No copying or distribution of these materials can be conducted without express written permission of the American Printing House for the Blind, 1839 Frankfort Ave., Louisville, KY, 40206-0085.

Squire Toad's Puzzle Book

Introduction

Squire Toad's Puzzle Book is an accessory to ToAD: Tools for Assessment and Development of Vision. There are many activities of visual development for which Squire Toad's Puzzle Book may be used, the most basic ones are delineated on the pages opposite the puzzles themselves.

The photos, illustrations, and puzzles in Squire Toad's Puzzle Book have been developed to help students achieve the following visual and perceptual skills:

The first five photos and illustrations in Squire Toad's Puzzle Book have been designed mainly for students who are developmentally very young. They can be used as part of the TADPOLE activities. The rest of the puzzles are mainly for students aged 3-6 with visual impairments who do not have other complicating factors.

The images and concepts embedded in Squire Toad's Puzzle Book have been developed to provide high contrast images in colors and patterns designed to build visual and perceptual skills. These images and activities have been tested on real students with visual impairments and meet APH's tested criteria for image clarity and contrast for documents to be used by persons with low vision. It is hoped teachers and interventionists will find Squire Toad's Puzzle Book useful as they work toward assessing and developing the skills of their students.

Elaine Kitchel, M.Ed.
Low Vision Project Leader
American Printing House for the Blind

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all those teachers who have, for decades, made their own kits of materials to perform functional vision assessments and vision development activities for students with visual impairments. Many of these imaginative individuals have provided help their students could have acquired nowhere else. They have contributed profoundly to the body of information that provides the foundation for ToAD.

Toad Skills and Tools

Physiological
  Fixation Pursuit Shift of Gaze Cross Mid-line Eye-hand Coordination
(cause/effect & activation)
Field of Vision Scanning Convergence
Foam Puzzles           
ToAD Triangles           
Toad Flashlight & Attachments     
ToAD String Light           
ToAD LED Keychain Light         
ToAD Match'n Sort Cards         
ToAD Pom-pon           
ToAD Bowls and Balls       
ToAD Bell Bracelet and Puppet   
ToAD Gift Bags                 
ToAD Tangle Toys/Foam Squares               
Slinky             
ToAD Mirror         
ToAD Swirly Mats     
Squire Toad's Puzzles         
Tasha Tadpole's Puzzles         

 

Perceptual
  Depth Perception Visual Memory Object
Recognition
(3-D)
Object/Shape
Recognition
(2-D)
Figure Ground
Discrimination
Size
Discrimination
Shape
Discrimination
Foam Puzzles   
ToAD Triangles           
Toad Flashlight & Attachments               
ToAD String Light               
ToAD LED Keychain Light               
ToAD Match'n Sort Cards     
ToAD Pom-pon             
ToAD Bowls and Balls         
ToAD Bell Bracelet and Puppet           
ToAD Gift Bags         
ToAD Tangle Toys/Foam Squares         
Slinky             
ToAD Mirror               
ToAD Swirly Mats           
Squire Toad's Puzzles     
Tasha Tadpole's Puzzles 

 

Cognitive
  Object Permanance Imitation of Action Identifying Sequencing Matching Sorting Photograph
Recognition
Color Discrimination
Foam Puzzles   
ToAD Triangles         
Toad Flashlight & Attachments                 
ToAD String Light                 
ToAD LED Keychain Light                 
ToAD Match'n Sort Cards     
ToAD Pom-pon                 
ToAD Bowls and Balls         
ToAD Bell Bracelet and Puppet             
ToAD Gift Bags             
ToAD Tangle Toys/Foam Squares       
Slinky               
ToAD Mirror                 
ToAD Swirly Mats             
Squire Toad's Puzzles     
Tasha Tadpole's Puzzles     

Getting Ready

To use Squire Toad's Puzzle Book you will need:

Also useful:

Smiling Face Photo

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard. Be sure to have the ToAD mirror handy during this exercise.
  2. If the student has physical disabilities, or is developmentally very young, make sure he is aligned and supported and ready to use his vision.
  3. Place the Smiling Face Photo on a simple, black or white background cloth in front of the student, about 16 inches away from him.
  4. Give the student sufficient time to visually explore the photo. For students with CVI, this may take a minute or two.
  5. Note whether the student reacts to the photo by smiling, reaching out, crying, or exhibiting subtler behaviors that indicate he is seeing the photo. Depending upon the student's vision, it may be advisable to move the photo closer or farther away.
  6. If the student does not seem to be aware of the photo, then use the ToAD mirror to show him his own face, starting at a distance of 16 inches from his face. Note if the student reacts to the image of his own face. If he does not, vary the distance. When he does react to his own image, then try again with the photo. If he does not react to the image of his own face, give him time to rest from the activity and try again at a later time.
  7. The Smiling Face Photo can be used to teach the parts of the face or to talk about smiles and other facial expression.
  8. Once the student reliably reacts to the Smiling Face Photo or another image of a face, he is ready to move on to the Spoon Photo.

A young woman, caucasian with reddish-brown hair and hazel eyes smiles in the photo.  One can see her teeth, dimples and reflective sparkles in her eyes. There is nothing in the background, just a brown color.

Spoon Photo

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard. Be sure to have a real spoon handy during this exercise.
  2. If the student has physical disabilities, or is developmentally very young, make sure she is aligned and supported and ready to use her vision.
  3. Place the Spoon Photo on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student, about 16 inches away from her.
  4. Give the student sufficient time to explore the photo. For students with CVI, this may take a minute or two.
  5. Note whether the student reacts to the photo by smiling, reaching out, crying, or exhibiting subtler behaviors that indicate she is seeing the image in the photo. Depending upon the student's vision, it may be advisable to move the photo closer or farther away to get a response.
  6. If the student does not react to the Spoon Photo, place a real spoon on top of the spoon in the photo. Note if the student reacts to the real spoon. Let the student hold or touch the real spoon and help her place it on top of or beside the spoon in the photo. Use the word "spoon" often while demonstrating the similarities between the real spoon and the Spoon Photo.
  7. It may help to give the student a bit of dry cereal or banana in the real spoon and allow her to feed herself.
  8. When the student consistently recognizes or interacts with the Spoon Photo, she is ready to go on to the White Spoon Drawing.

A silver spoon is shown in the photo on a plain, black background.  The spoon is oriented horizontally with the handle of the spoon on the right and the bowl of the spoon on the left.

White Spoon Drawing

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard. Be sure to have a real spoon and a piece of black paper handy during this exercise.
  2. If the student has physical disabilities, or is developmentally very young, make sure he is aligned and supported and ready to use his vision.
  3. Place the White Spoon Drawing on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student, about 16 inches away from him.
  4. Give the student sufficient time to explore the drawing. For students with CVI, this may take a minute or two.
  5. Note whether the student reacts to the spoon in the drawing by smiling, reaching out, crying, or exhibiting subtler behaviors that indicate he is seeing the spoon in the drawing. Depending upon the student's vision, it may be advisable to move the drawing closer or farther away to get a response.
  6. If the student does not respond, place a real spoon on top of, or near the spoon in the drawing. Note if the student reacts to the real spoon. If he does not, place a bit of dry cereal or banana in the spoon to elicit a response. When he responds, let him feed himself the treat using the spoon.
  7. Point out the similarities between the real spoon and the spoon in the drawing, saying "spoon" often.
  8. If the student does not consistently respond to the spoon in the drawing, he may not be able to differentiate the spoon from the background containing the yellow squares. Cover the yellow squares with black paper and try again. If the student responds when the yellow squares are blocked out, give him praise. Let him rest; then repeat the exercise. After he reacts to the spoon without the yellow squares, uncover them and see if he still reacts to the spoon.
  9. Repeat this exercise until he can consistently recognize the spoon even with the background noise of the yellow squares. When he can, he is ready to go on to White Spoon Puzzle #1.

A big, white spoon is shown in the drawing on a black background dotted with several tiny yellow squares.  The spoon is oriented horizontally with the handle of the spoon on the right and the bowl of the spoon on the left.

White Spoon Puzzle #1

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard. Be sure to have a piece of black paper handy during this exercise.
  2. If the student has physical disabilities or is developmentally very young, make sure she is aligned and supported and ready to use her vision.
  3. Place the White Spoon Puzzle #1 on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student about 16 inches away from her.
  4. Cover the line of small images at the bottom of the page with a piece of black paper. Give the student sufficient time to explore the puzzle. For students with CVI, this may take a minute or two.
  5. Note whether the student reacts to the spoon image in the puzzle by smiling, reaching out, crying, or exhibiting subtler behaviors that indicate she is seeing an image. Depending upon the student's vision, it may be advisable to move the puzzle closer or farther away to get a response.
  6. Ask the student to point to, or otherwise identify the spoon. If the student reacts to, or identifies the spoon, uncover the line of small images at the bottom of the page. Ask the student to find the spoon in the line of images at the bottom of the page. If she cannot, point to each of the images going from left-to-right, naming them. When the small spoon is reached, point out how the small spoon looks like the big spoon in the center of the puzzle. Then identify the last image in the line. Point to the big spoon. Ask the student to identify the little spoon.
  7. Repeat step #6, resting when needed, until the student can identify both spoons in the puzzle. Give praise for a job well done. Your student is now ready for White Spoon Puzzle #2.

A big, white spoon is shown on a plain, black background. The spoon is oriented horizontally with the handle of the spoon on the right and the bowl of the spoon on the left. Below the spoon is a horizontal line of objects.  Starting on the left: a small red apple, a small blue cup, a small white spoon, a small yellow banana.

White Spoon Puzzle #2

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard. Be sure to have a piece of red construction paper handy during this exercise.
  2. If the student has physical disabilities, or is developmentally very young, make sure she is aligned and supported and ready to use her vision.
  3. Place the White Spoon Puzzle #2 on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student, about 16 inches away from her. Cover the line of small spoons at the bottom of the puzzle with a piece of red construction paper.
  4. Give the student sufficient time to explore the puzzle. By now, most students should be able to recognize and react to the spoon in the center of the puzzle. For students with CVI, this may take a minute or two.
  5. Note whether the student reacts to the puzzle by smiling, reaching out, crying, or exhibiting subtler behaviors that indicate she is seeing the spoon image. Depending upon the student's vision, move the puzzle closer or farther away to get a response.
  6. When you are sure that the student is seeing and responding to the spoon, remove the piece of red construction paper, uncovering the line of spoons at the bottom of the page. Moving from left-to-right across the bottom of the page point to each spoon and say the word "spoon." Talk about how there are many spoons on the page.
  7. Ask the student to find the little spoon that is just like the big spoon. This may be very difficult for some students. Therefore, this puzzle may be used to teach directionality. It may not be useful to use the words "left" and "right," depending upon the developmental age of the student. However the words "up," "down," "this way," and "that way" could be used to describe directionality.
  8. For some students, especially those who are developmentally very young, finding the spoons on the distracting red background may be the limit of their abilities. Use professional judgement in determining if the student is able to go beyond the White Spoon Puzzle #2 to the higher level puzzles in Squire Toad's Puzzle Book.

A big, white spoon is shown on a plain, red background. The spoon is oriented horizontally with the handle of the spoon on the right and the bowl of the spoon on the left. Below the spoon is a horizontal line of small white spoons. Starting on the left: a small white spoon with handle pointing down, a small white spoon with handle pointing left, a small white spoon with handle pointing up, a small white spoon with handle pointing right.

Butterfly Figure/Ground Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have black construction paper handy.
  3. Give the student sufficient time to explore the puzzle. Then explain in simple terms that you are going to play a game together.
  4. Say something such as, "We are going to point to all the butterflies on this page. Can you point to a butterfly?"
  5. Keep giving cues to the student until she locates all the butterflies on the page. If the student has trouble, isolate a single butterfly using black paper to block out the others. Once the student can identify a single butterfly, try to expand the working field to include two butterflies. Keep expanding the field until all butterflies can by located by the student.
  6. Once the student can consistently locate the butterflies on the page, she is ready to move to the next puzzle.

Five different, colored butterflies appear on a white background with black diagonal stripes of different widths. The largest butterfly, a red one with yellow and white spots is nearly centrally-located.  Around it are four smaller butterflies.  Clockwise from bottom are: A red and yellow butterfly with black stripes, a light blue and dark blue butterfly, an orange and yellow butterfly with black stripes, a light green and dark green butterfly.

Snow Scene Seek-and-Find Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have black construction paper available. Block out everything but the line of small images at the bottom of the page.
  3. Give the student sufficient time to explore the items. Help him name them: thermometer, sock hat, snow shovel, penguin, mitten, hat. When he is done, explain in simple terms that you are going to play a game together.
  4. Say something such as, "We have looked at the little pictures at the bottom of the page. Now we are going to find the same pictures up in the big picture." Uncover the big picture and give the student sufficient time to explore it.
  5. Point to the first little picture and ask the student to name the item. If he has difficulty, help him name the items. Then ask the student to find one that is just the same in the big picture. If the student has difficulty, show him the big picture only a quarter-page at a time using black paper to block out the rest. Once he is able to locate the items using this technique, see if he can find them in the entire picture.
  6. Repeat item five until the student has gained proficiency in finding the small items in the big picture.
  7. Once the student can reliably perform this task, he is ready to move to the next puzzle.

A snow scene with snow-covered trees in the background, a blue sky, a penguin and white puffy clouds provide the backdrop. Moving left-to-right, a snowman, a boy on a sled, a thermometer and snow shovel appear in the snow scene along with two large, snow-covered trees in the foreground.  The scene contains six elements which are shown at the bottom of the page and in the scene itself.  The student is to find and point to the thermometer, the knit cap (on the boy), the snow shovel, the penguin, a mitten (on the boy), and a tophat (on the snowman), within the snow scene.

Elephant and Dog Missing Pieces Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have black construction paper available. Block out all but the little pictures at the bottom of the page.
  3. Help the student name the pictures at the bottom of the page: dog's tail, dog's collar, dog's bone, elephant's eye, elephant's tail, elephant's leg, dog's nose.
  4. Say something such as, "We are going to look at the little pictures at the bottom of the page. Then we are going to point to the spot where they should go."
  5. Point to the first little picture at the bottom of the page. Ask the student to again name the item. Help her if she has difficulty. Once identified, ask the student to find where it should go in the big picture. If the student has difficulty, you may want to show her only half of the big picture, at a time using black paper to block out the rest. Once she is able to locate the items using this technique, see if she can find them in the entire picture. Items: dog's tail, dog's collar, dog's bone, elephant's eye, elephant's tail, elephant's leg, dog's nose.
  6. Once the student can reliably find where the missing pieces go, she is ready to move on to the next puzzle.

There is a scene of an elephant, a snail and a dog.  The gray elephant is on the left, facing right, the orange snail and the black-and-white dog are on the right, facing left.  The elephant and the dog are missing body parts and/or accessories.  The missing parts and accessories are shown at the bottom of the page. The student is to indicate where they belong in the scene.  They are: dog's tail, dog's collar, dog's bone, elephant's eye, elephant's tail, elephant's right front leg, dog's nose.

Frog Pond Seek-and-Find Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have black construction paper available.
  3. Explain in simple terms that you are going to play a game together.
  4. Give the student some time to visually scan the puzzle. When he has finished, say something such as, "We are going to look at the little pictures at the bottom of the page. Then we are going to name them and find the same pictures up in the big picture."
  5. Point to the first little picture and help the student name it: dragonfly. Sometimes when items are out of context they are more difficult for the student to identify. Ask the student to see if he can find one that is just the same in the big picture. If the student has difficulty, show him only half of the big picture at a time using black paper to block out the rest. Once he is able to locate the items using this technique, see if he can find them in the entire picture. Items: dragonfly, fish, lily pad, turtle, frog.
  6. Repeat item five until the student has gained proficiency in finding the small items in the big picture.
  7. Once the student can reliably perform this task, he is ready to move to the next puzzle.

The scene is a light blue frog pond with layers of objects.  On top of the water are water lilies, dragonflies, and a green frog. Under the water from left-to-right are bubbles, a red fish, weeds, a green turtle, some weeds and rocks.  The next layer is the muddy pond bottom. Under it, at the bottom of the page are small drawings of some elements of the scene.  These are to be used by the student is to identify and point to elements up in the scene from left-to-right: a dragonfly, the red fish, a water lily with a purple and a yellow blossom, the green turtle, the green frog.

Boy and Dog Seek-and-Find, Figure/Ground Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have some black construction paper available.
  3. Explain in simple terms that you are going to play a game together.
  4. Say something such as, "We are going to look at the little pictures at the bottom of the page. Then we are going to name them and find the same pictures up in the big picture." This puzzle is a little more complex than the previous seek-and-find and figure/ground puzzles. Allow plenty of time for the student to visually scan and process what she sees.
  5. Point to the first little picture and help the student name it if she does not quickly identify it. Ask the student if she can find an item that is just the same in the big picture. If the student has difficulty, show her only half of the big picture at a time, using black paper to block out the rest. Once she is able to locate the items using this technique, see if she can find them in the entire picture. Items: butterfly, turtle, nose, net, shoe, grass.
  6. Repeat item five until the student has gained proficiency in finding the small items in the big picture.
  7. Once the student can reliably perform this task, she is ready to move to the next puzzle.

The scene is of a dog and a boy on a green and lilac plaid background. The black-and-white dog is on the left; he has a turtle on his back and a bone in his mouth.  He is chasing the boy, on the right, who has a butterfly net and is chasing a butterfly. Three patches of grass and one yellow daisy are scattered around the scene. At the bottom of the page are small drawings of some elements of the scene. These are to be used by the student to identify and point to elements up in the scene: a green and yellow butterfly, a turtle, the boy's nose, the butterfly net, the boy's sneaker, a patch of grass.

Cat and Girl Missing Pieces Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have some black construction paper available.
  3. Give your student some time to visually explore the puzzle. When he has had sufficient time, explain in simple terms that you are going to play a game together.
  4. Say something such as, "We are going to look at the little pictures at the bottom of the page. Then we are going to point to the spot in the big picture where they should go."
  5. Point to the first little picture and help the student name it: wagon wheel. A few of the items may be difficult to identify when they are out of context. Once the items are identified, ask the student to see if he can find where it goes in the big picture. If the student has difficulty, show him only a half-page at a time using black paper to block out the rest. Once he is able to name and locate the items using this technique, see if he can find them in the entire picture. Items: wagon wheel, girl's foot, cat's paw, girl's eye, butterfly, cat's bow, cat's tail, cat's eye.
  6. Once the student can reliably find where the missing pieces go, he is ready to move on to the next puzzle.

The scene is one of a white room with a brown, striped carpet. A yellow-and-brown striped cat lies on an orange, green, and yellow, round rug on the left. A green-and-yellow butterfly flutters in the upper left-hand corner. A girl stands to the right of the cat and a red wagon is near the girl. The cat, the girl, and the wagon are all missing body parts, or accessories. At the bottom of the page are small drawings of some elements of the scene. These are to be used by the student to identify and point to where they belong in the scene: a wagon wheel, the girl's left foot with shoe, the cat's left front paw, the girl's left eye, the butterfly, the girl's bow from her left ponytail, the cat's tail, the cat's right eye.

Zoo Seek-and-Find Puzzle

  1. Make sure the student and you are in an environment that is quiet and has few distractions. A black corner can be devised using the APH Invisiboard.
  2. Place the puzzle on a simple, black or white cloth background in front of the student. Have some black construction paper available.
  3. Explain in simple terms that you are going to play a game.
  4. Say something such as, "We are going to look at the little pictures at the bottom of the page. Then we are going to name them and find the same pictures in the big picture." This puzzle is a little more complex than the previous seek-and-find puzzles. Allow plenty of time for the student to visually scan and process what he sees.
  5. Point to the first little picture and ask your student to name it. Some of the items are exotic, so he may need help naming them. Once they are named, ask the student if he can find one that is just the same in the big picture. If the student has difficulty, show him only a quarter-page at a time using black paper to block out the rest. Once he is able to locate the items using this technique, ask him to find them in the entire picture. Items: hay, egg, beak, koala, balloon, zebra, cap.
  6. Repeat item five until the student has gained proficiency in finding the small items in the big picture.
  7. Once the student can reliably perform this task, he is ready to move to more complex tasks. It is advisable to build your own puzzles using photographs, pages from coloring books, and drawings of your own. Adhere to simple principles, don't try to tackle more than one concept at a time and the students you teach will have many successes.

The scene is one of a boy with a yellow balloon, skipping along a path in a zoo.  He is surrounded by areas where animals dwell.  The boy is in the center.  Behind him is a koala in a tree at the 9:00 position.  At 12:00 are two black-and-white zebras.  At 2:00 is a gray-blue elephant.  At 4:00 is a gray ostrich with an orange beak sitting on a large egg. At the bottom of the page are small drawings of some elements of the scene. These are to be used by the student to identify and point to elements up in the scene: a large, white egg, an orange beak, a koala, a yellow balloon, a right-facing zebra, a purple baseball cap.

Squire ToAD's Puzzle Book
Copyright, 2007 all rights reserved.
American Printing House for the Blind, Inc
Catalog No. 1-08512-05

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