Early Years: Working with visually impaired children
Presented on Wednesday 2 December 2009
Visual Impairment, early years
Gathering information by assessment of functional vision
Alison Duthie
General developmental milestones
Vision for what? For Doing.
"Vision for Doing" (Aitken and Buultjens) Stages of visual function:
- Awareness,
- attention,
- localising,
- recognising,
- understanding. ("Vision for Doing" pp39-43)
Awareness
- Blinds open/shut. Lights on/off Torches.
- Signs of awareness; agitation stilling?
- Stimulation of vision and maturation of vision
Attention
Attention: still a subjective judgement "You know it when you see it"
- increased stilling or raising of limbs.
- Vocalisation.
"Little Room"
Localising
- Localising: turning to stimulus? Reaching? Dark room with light stimulation, therefore difficult to film.
- Blind child may not turn. Why would they?
- Importance of development of swiping to reaching.
- Binocular function and 3D vision
Recognising
- Begin to involve the 'library' of images in the ventral stream.
- Comparing and discarding images.
Understanding
- Understanding: concept formation over prolonged period.
- Repetition of experience.
- Reduced incidental learning: implications for carers. (DLA applications)
Vision for...
1. Bonding:
Can baby see his mother's smile?
- Contrast sensitivity
- Distance acuity: masks, make up
Can he see to imitate her expression or movements? How far away? (long sight in babies)
2. Movement
Can he see things beyond his reach? If not, how will you motivate him to want to move?
Can he see
- Moving things
- Stationary things when he is moving?
- Assessment strategies: bubbles, cars, fixing and tracking toys, observation of him watching mother/cat?
Working with the physiotherapist
- On tummy, head up
- Rolling
- Crawling
Getting going:
- Confidence
- Judging slopes and steps
- Speed and distance
- Vision in poor light
- Assessment may then be mostly by observation and report from family
Edges of doors: acuity/contrast/3D vision
3. Communication
- Can he wave to Granny as she approaches the house?
Tinsel wig, mask, silly faces - See your mouth as you speak?
- Hear distinct sounds?
- Share a story book?
Observation, attention - Imitate?
4. Shared gaze
Importance of shared gaze for
- Bonding,
- Language
- Concept formation
Distance/close vision - If his world exists only within his reach, what are the implications?
5. Life skills
- Feeding
Contrast
Fields of vision - Feeding bottle in sparkly wrapping
- White tray, coloured plate, contrast with food
References
S Aitken and M Buultjens "Vision for Doing" Moray House Publications, 1992
Sonksen and Stiff "Show me what my friends can see", Institute of Child Health, 1999
Developmental Journal, DfES, 2007
The Oregon Project, Jackson County Education 1978