The article explores the specifics of forming communicative behavior in preschool children with visual impairments through the integrated use of digital technologies. Cultivating a culture of adequate and safe interaction with digital assistants-especially among children with visual impairments-poses particular challenges due to the specifics of such disabilities. It complicates independent and uncontrolled mastery not only of digital educational resources but also distorts the process of developing a technological culture of children’s coexistence with the digital world in the context of communication using modern assistive technologies. As the digital society evolves, the formation of a methodology for digital hygiene-of which children with visual impairments are an integral part-takes on special significance. New terms, functions, and even professions of digital transformation are emerging. For example, in early childhood education, there has arisen a need to justify a new functional role of a “digital escort,” when a child in a digital environment is supervised and guided by educators or parents acting as supervisors. Communicative behavior is often considered in the context of teaching children with autism spectrum disorders and other behavioral disorders, where the task of standardizing and algorithmizing interaction is pressing and yields extensive technology-oriented results. In our research, involving children with visual impairments, we define different parameters for the expected educational outcomes. The aim of our study is the theoretical understanding, methodological substantiation, and experimental validation of the effectiveness of various digital tools and assistive technologies in correctional and developmental work with preschool children with visual impairments. We also seek to develop methodological recommendations and other instructional materials that take into account individual and differentiated approaches in teaching and educating children with significant visual deficiencies. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study draws upon the principles of a holistic approach to the application of new modern technologies, their substantiation, and formalization as methodological principles and recommendations, as proposed by L.I. Solntseva and continued by her scientific school of child typhlopsychology. In order to substantiate the strengths and identify the negative effects of modern digital assistive technologies on the success of correctional work – as well as to determine the role of typhlopedagogues and special education teachers in this process – a structured diagnostic study was organized and conducted. During a long-term pedagogical experiment carried out in a preschool institution, it was demonstrated that the use of interactive applications, voice assistants, multimedia, and tactile resources significantly improves visual perception, speech skills, spatial awareness, and emotional expression among pupils. After a two-year program, the number of indicators at a high level increased more than fourfold, statistically confirming the effectiveness of the proposed program. The practical significance of the work lies in the potential for replicating the developed methodology in in inclusive and special education preschools, as well as in training special education teachers and typhlopedagogues. The study materials may be useful to researchers concerned with digital rehabilitation issues and practitioners implementing early intervention programs for children with disabilities. The results confirm the hypothesis that systematic use of digital technologies not only compensates for visual deficits but also creates conditions for the child’s full socialization, expanding their communicative space both within and beyond the educational environment.
Bronnikova et al. (Tue,) studied this question.