A student with a significant visual impairment may need support in which area of communication?

A student with a significant visual impairment may require support in social pragmatic skills due to the challenges they face in interpreting non-verbal cues and social interactions that typically rely on visual information. Since much of social communication involves visual aspects—like facial expressions, gestures, and body language—students with visual impairments might not have the same access to learning these cues as their sighted peers. Therefore, they may struggle with understanding social norms, engaging in conversations, or responding appropriately in social situations.

While the other areas listed, such as vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and listening skills, are also important, they are more directly related to cognitive and auditory processes rather than the critical social and interactive elements that significant visual impairments can complicate. Support in social pragmatic skills specifically addresses the unique challenges these students face in social contexts.