Literally billions of sensory experiences during the first year of life are necessary for cognitive development to take place. Typical development during this crucial period results in the brain actually doubling in size as pathways are formed and grown. Talk about an egg head! Every interaction with people, objects, and stimuli in the environment contributes… Read more Sensory Efficiency: Is It Just Another ECC Extra?
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Depending on the level of vision loss, they may not be able to get any information at all from the way typically sighted children pick up on how things work, that is, by incidental learning experiences that rely on seeing what goes on around them. Rather than learning occurring incidentally, for children with visual impairments,… Read more 5 Ingredients for Effective Instruction in the Expanded Core Curriculum
“They’re Not Ready Yet” – Why Waiting to Begin Independent Living Instruction at Home Widens Deficits and Prevents Future Independence For blind children, a common barrier to ECC (Expanded Core Curriculum) instruction taking place at home, particularly in the area of independent living, is unintentional parental attitudes. The parents or caregivers often perceive that the… Read more Don’t Wait to Start Independent Living Instruction
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