Structure
What can you expect from Tactual Profile?
Part 1 items for observing a child’s tactual functioning
Tactual Profile is composed of two components. The first contains items enabling the specific observation of a child’s tactual functioning in the following areas:
- Tactual-sensory functioning (tactual awareness, noticing, body awareness, touch sensitivity, proprioception)
- Tactual-motor functioning (tactual exploration, manipulating, two-handedness, large and nearby space)
- Tactual-perceptual functioning (recognition, perception of detail, discriminating, constructing/reproducing, part-whole relationship, tactile-spatial perception, figure-ground perception, third and second dimension, tactual language)
- Practical skills (touch strategy, self help skills, game-activity, linking function to object, action-sequence, dealing with variables) integrated.
Part 2 factors affecting tactual perception and functioning
The second part incorporates a survey containing factors which affect tactual perception and functioning. It provides a so-called tactual conceptual framework, general and specific child-variables opposite to stimulus variables. The purpose of this overview is to provide reference points for the differentiated approach of touch of this child, with these possinbilities, in these circumstances.
- General child variables are: living environment, physical condition, modalities, character traits, executive skills, concentration/attention and memory.
- Specific child variables are: motor skills, touch sensitivity, tactual areas, proprioception, tactual experience and sequential perception.
- Stimulus-variables are texture, shape, size, relief, weight, line, temperature, material, time, spatial/tactile/sensory distracting factors.