Providing children with an accessible school day is essential for learning to take place. But for kids with a CVI (brain-based visual impairments), an accessible day means more than adapting the classroom environment and materials to support functioning. Visual fatigue plays a large role in the lives of children with CVI. It can cause soar… Read more The Necessity of Visual Breaks for Kids with CVI
LIGHT Reaction to Changing Light Levels In addition to interviewing parents about their child’s reaction to changing light levels, it is also important to observe the child’s behavior when encountering these changing light levels. For example, does the child stop on the threshold at the door when coming back in from recess? Do they pull… Read more Key Testing Protocols for CVI
When we are presented with an object, we must have two skills to recognize it: sustained gaze and shift of gaze. Sustained gaze means a certain amount of time is needed for processing to occur or the item will not be remembered or recognized. Shift of gaze is also crucial for a full understanding. In… Read more Why Shift of Gaze Deficits Are So Detrimental to Kids with CVI
Medical Professionals Don’t Recognize or Look for CVI Far too common among parents of kids with CVI is the story of struggle to obtain a correct diagnosis. Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis are far too common and both lead to barriers acquiring access to appropriate educational services. Rachel Bennet declared at the 2019 Perkins CVI Symposium that:… Read more 3 Common Themes from Parents of Kids with CVI
1. CVI Means an Under-Connected Network According to Dr. Lotfi Merabet, the main difference in brain structure between ocular blindness and CVI is in the amount of connectivity. With ocular blindness, the brain’s connections and pathways are as strong as normal or even stronger when compared to brain imaging of sighted controls. The network that… Read more 5 Fascinating Concepts about CVI and the Visual Brain
In the field of CVI professionals, the three main formal CVI assessments include the CVI Range by Dr. Christine Roman Lantzy, the Preverbal Visual Assessment (PREVIAS), and the Visual Assessment Scale (VAS). The categories of visual behaviors contained in assessment questions can vary slightly depending on the assessment being used but are generally comparable to… Read more Overview of Formal Assessment Tools for CVI
CVI is recognized by the presence of a series of visual characteristics or behaviors observed in the individual as they attempt to interact with their environment, rather than by an acuity score on a typical eye test. Even though CVI is the leading cause of visual impairment in the pediatric population, it can still be… Read more How is CVI Diagnosed?
CVI or Cerebral Visual Impairment, is the leading cause of pediatric visual impairment in developed countries. Consequently, it is essential for today’s teachers to have a solid understanding of how and why injuries to the brain cause vision issues. The journey starts by discovering how the brain processis input from the eyes to turn it… Read more Why Does Injury to the Brain Impair Vision?
Shape and color are highly interconnected. Many objects have strong color associations. For those that do, are brains can recognize them faster when the color matches the one we are expecting. For example, it would take the brain longer to recognize an apple that is yellow than it would to recognize one that is the… Read more Using Color to Boost Visual Recognition for Students
Description One of the most common disorders among very premature infants, Periventricular Leukomalacia (PVL) is described as softening, damage, or death to the white matter around the ventricles in the brain. The ventricles contain the cerebrospinal fluid while the white matter nerve fibers send electrical pulses that relay information between various parts of the brain… Read more Periventricular Leukomalacia