Author Archives: Melisa Matthews

Routines, Communication, and Practice!  

Posted on August 28, 2023 - 12:49 am by
Child and adult pull gardening items out of a box. Text: APH Hive; Text: Fostering Symbolic Understanding for Students with Complex Needs Leanne Grillot & Stacey Chambers

Communication gives the power of control to individuals. Helping children and youth with complex needs build communication skills involves understanding specific interventions and how each aligns with stages of cognitive development. Families can support their child’s ability to communicate wants and needs within the home by understanding cognitive development. Work with your TVI to implement […]

Retro to Modern Accessible Easter Egg Hunt Options

A carton of colorful eggs.

A memorable, accessible Easter egg hunt for your entire family—including your young person who is blind or low vision—can be in your near future. Picture your little one (white cane in tow) enthusiastically finding Easter eggs with their peers—imagine the joy, the victory, and the independence! That’s right, you can prepare an egg hunt where […]

Fine Motor Skills for Young Children

A spinner toy suctioned to a high chair as a child is playing.

For babies who are blind or have low vision, fine motor skills play a critical role in the ability to explore and interact with their environment. They serve as the foundation for many important life skills such as self-care, communication, and academic success. One of the primary ways babies who are blind or have low […]

APH Code Jumper and Summer Fun

Posted on June 12, 2023 - 11:25 am by
Child creates a circuit with computer-mouse-sized Code Jumper pods. Text: APH Hive Getting Started: Code Jumper Unplugged Presented by Leslie Weilbacher, Robin Lowell, & Shelley Mack

Computer Science and Information Technology jobs have continued to rise over the last few years. The field of coding offers virtually endless job opportunities. It’s important for your child to explore this field. Many students start learning coding as early as kindergarten. However, your child with blindness or low vision might not have had the […]

Sensing and Learning with the APH Hive

Posted on May 31, 2023 - 8:33 am by
A student looking up toward his teacher who is reading with him.

Does your child who is blind or low vision have complex needs? Partnering with your education team to gather information about how your child responds to activities at school and home is the first step towards building communication skills. As parents, we may want to know what is observed when determining our child’s present level […]

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