The Prevalence of Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Senses Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities Utilize When Receiving Instruction

Author

Elizabeth Gormley, Butler UniversityFollow

Date of Award

2016

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Education

First Advisor

Theresa Knipstein-Meyer

Abstract

This study sought to discover how often visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic senses are used when students of low-incidence special education receive instruction. Low-incidence disabilities are physical and intellectual abnormalities that severely impact an individual’s ability to function independently in daily life. The research was completed through weekly observations in a classroom designed for students with low-incidence disabilities, including autism and traumatic brain injuries. Throughout the school day, it was noted whether the students reacted to the instruction using their auditory, visual, and/or kinesthetic sense. The students’ visual response was measured by marking whether the student made eye contact with the educator; the auditory response by marking whether the student verbally responded to teacher prompts; and the kinesthetic response by marking whether the student physically followed the teacher’s directions. It was found that students of low-incidence disabilities responded most frequently when the kinesthetic sense was engaged. This means that the students physically followed the teacher’s directions more frequently than made eye contact with the educator or verbally responded to teacher prompts.

Recommended Citation

Gormley, Elizabeth, "The Prevalence of Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Senses Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities Utilize When Receiving Instruction" (2016). Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection. 332.
https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/ugtheses/332