Fostering Curiosity and Drive

He knew there were cookies up there somewhere, he could smell them.  But how to get to them.... The chair became his ally as he silently pushed it across the floor.  His three-year-old legs stopped just in front of the stove and up he went.  Undaunted by the gap between the stove-top and chair, he scaled the gap using the oven handle.  He quickly stood up, making sure the bottom of the cabinets didn’t meet his head, felt for the door, and victory was his!

The mass of middle school girls had pressed close together at the starting line, a bundle of sweat and nervous energy.  But now they were spread across a vast area, each one battling her own private trail to the finish line.  A faint hint of color flashed by letting her know she was still on the right path; she had veered off a time or two but always managed to find her way back.  In front of her she heard a cheering mass letting her know she was nearing the finish line.  As she burst out of the trees and crossed the finish line, she collapsed to the ground exhausted but exuberant.  Her time was a new personal best and she had helped her team towards a second place finish.

The smell of grease and oil was all around, other students and the instructor called back and forth to each other but he was focused on battling with the stubborn lug nut.  If he could get it tightened, his truck would have new brakes.  Finally, it felt right.  He called the teacher over and was told that everything looked great.

These are all typical activities and even rites of passage for so many kids.  The difference here is that every one of these children has a visual impairment and they are all braille readers.  All too often that means the expectations are lowered and opportunities are blocked.  This doesn’t have to be the case, a child who is visually impaired can experience the same intense drive, the same inborn curiosity, and the same exhilaration with success as every other child.  The adults just need to work a little harder to build the right environment around them. 

Every human being is born with a curiosity for the world, a need to reach out to play and learn, as well as a desire to move and explore.   Over time these desires are shaped by those nearest us into either a path of internally motivated exploration, or turned into dependence on others for motivation without a sense that we cannot impact our world.  A few simple things can tip the scale in one direction or the other.

Where is the control?

To be motivated, we have to have an idea that we have control over a situation.  If nothing we do can change the outcome, why would we put in the effort to complete the project?  Allowing our children to make small decisions starting at a young age (what clothes do I want to wear, what should I have for snack, which book do I want to read) and building to bigger and bigger decisions as they get older gives them the basis for that control.  All too often when a child is visually impaired people will talk to the adults around then rather than to the child themselves.  Redirecting that conversation towards the child helps them to know that they have valued input that is worth hearing.

Why is this task important?

For any of us to want to complete a task, we have to have some sort of interest in what we are asked to do.  We can be motivated to complete even the most mundane tasks, like washing dishes, if we see that there is a greater good at the other end – being able to eat dinner on a clean plate tonight.  Our children with visual impairments often miss seeing all the little steps that go into the bigger picture.  They can think that food just appears at the table or that clean clothes are just in the closet without realizing the work that goes into making those things happen.  Involving your child in every step of every process from a young age is incredibly important. It is best if they can feel what you are doing while you are doing it or help alongside of you, but if that is not possible make sure to explain what steps you are doing especially explaining what they hear, touch, or smell.   The more you expose them to, the more areas they have the opportunity to become interested in. Be careful to not limit their experiences because what they want might be visually difficult or because you are afraid.  There are very few things that cannot be adapted to work for your child with the help of a good Teacher of the Visually Impaired and a little creativity.  A child shouldn’t have to give up something they are passionate about because we are intimidated by the what-ifs. 

Will I be able to do it?

None of us like to feel like we fail at everything we do.  Your child with a visual impairment needs to have authentic chances to be successful at completing the activities we all do every day.  It may take them longer to complete the activities and more patience to teach them, but in the long term it is well worth it.  Building confidence with the small things they know everyone does will translate to the sense that they could be successful with larger things as well.  Doing for them sends the message that they are unable to do for themselves. 

The sense of wonder, adventure and curiosity we are all born with can be nurtured and kept throughout our lives with just a little conscious effort on the parts of the adults in a child’s world.  With that wonder comes the motivation to move out into the world, gain independence, and be successful contributing members of society.