The Application of Werner and Kaplan's Concept of “Distancing” to Children who are Deaf-Blind

Abstract

Through the process of distancing, children develop an understanding of the differences between themselves and others, themselves and objects, and objects and representations. Adults can support progressive distancing in children who are congenitally deaf-blind by applying strategies, such as the hand-under-hand exploration of objects, the selection of communication forms that are based on children's level of representation, the use of cues for recall that are based on children's experiences, and modeling of more complex play schemes.