Blind and Visually Impaired Community
↑
8
↓
Suggestions for parents of possibly blind baby (self.Blind)
submitted by IHaveAFunnyName
Hello,
My son has optic nerve atrophy caused by hydrocephalus from being born 3 months early. He does not track or really focus with his eyes. He is 7 months old but treated as a 4 month old developmentally.
As people with very little experience with blindness, the support offered, or ways to optimize sight, are there any suggestions you may have for us?
We have bright colored toys, a light up rattle, and lots of music and sounds and rattles. I expect we will need to keep things in set places for him when he's older. But what else?
Thank you!
My son has optic nerve atrophy caused by hydrocephalus from being born 3 months early. He does not track or really focus with his eyes. He is 7 months old but treated as a 4 month old developmentally.
As people with very little experience with blindness, the support offered, or ways to optimize sight, are there any suggestions you may have for us?
We have bright colored toys, a light up rattle, and lots of music and sounds and rattles. I expect we will need to keep things in set places for him when he's older. But what else?
Thank you!
dmazzoni 5 points 7y ago
My wife was born blind, I asked her to share some advice.
It'd help to know where you live (what country / what state if in the U.S.), we might be able to share some more specific resources.
The National Federation of the Blind has a Parents of Blind Children group. They have a Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/331066810353777/ - but most states have a state president of Parents of Blind Children too, so that might be a great way to meet people who are local.
One of the benefits of getting involved with an organization like this is for you and your son to meet positive role models. People who are blind are fully capable of living normal, independent, successful lives, but it's important to set high expectations.
Also, assuming you're in the U.S. she'd recommend getting involving in your state's Early Intervention program (for 0 - 3 years) if you're not already.
There are some specific things you do need to do to help blind babies. For example, most blind babies don't naturally have the same desire to start moving, because they don't see a toy across the room they really want. Your Early Intervention program should provide therapy to teach crawling and walking at the appropriate time.
Other than that, treat your son just like you'd treat any baby that age. Give him the same independence and responsibilities that any other child that age would have. He might do some things differently, but that shouldn't ever be an excuse for him to not participate in anything.
Best of luck, and thanks for posting here!
It'd help to know where you live (what country / what state if in the U.S.), we might be able to share some more specific resources.
The National Federation of the Blind has a Parents of Blind Children group. They have a Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/331066810353777/ - but most states have a state president of Parents of Blind Children too, so that might be a great way to meet people who are local.
One of the benefits of getting involved with an organization like this is for you and your son to meet positive role models. People who are blind are fully capable of living normal, independent, successful lives, but it's important to set high expectations.
Also, assuming you're in the U.S. she'd recommend getting involving in your state's Early Intervention program (for 0 - 3 years) if you're not already.
There are some specific things you do need to do to help blind babies. For example, most blind babies don't naturally have the same desire to start moving, because they don't see a toy across the room they really want. Your Early Intervention program should provide therapy to teach crawling and walking at the appropriate time.
Other than that, treat your son just like you'd treat any baby that age. Give him the same independence and responsibilities that any other child that age would have. He might do some things differently, but that shouldn't ever be an excuse for him to not participate in anything.
Best of luck, and thanks for posting here!
IHaveAFunnyName [OP] 2 points 7y ago
Thank you so much for your response, and you and your wife's suggestions! We are in the united States in the Midwest. We are involved in early intervention already for physical and occupational therapy because he had brain bleeds that caused some damage in his brain and he is at high risk for cerebral palsy. I will definitely ask them for vision relates tips.
Thanks again! We appreciate it. :)
Thanks again! We appreciate it. :)
Unuhi 3 points 7y ago
Wonderbaby website, paths to literacy, and tsbvi.edu have a lot of good links for parents.
See it as a possibility to learn, not as a bad and terrible thing.
Even if he'll see something, probably learning about visual issues and some braille would nor hurt.
(As a kid whose eyes turned worse every winter, I wish someone had had the balls to trach me braille and basic blind skills as a kid at some point. Instead of focusing on how to make me just pass in the sighted world).
See it as a possibility to learn, not as a bad and terrible thing.
Even if he'll see something, probably learning about visual issues and some braille would nor hurt.
(As a kid whose eyes turned worse every winter, I wish someone had had the balls to trach me braille and basic blind skills as a kid at some point. Instead of focusing on how to make me just pass in the sighted world).
carpe_diem1977 3 points 7y ago
My 12 year old son has optic atrophy. We keep our house very bright...lots of lights that are always on, because he sees using contrast and can't see in dim light. Feel free to pm me with questions.
LowVisionOnMission 2 points 7y ago
I have always had Optic Nerve Hypoplasia. 27 now. What my parents did under the advice of professionals was to provide me with safe toys of different shapes,textures and colours (if functional vision is present). This helped me a lot to develop the ability to identify objects going forward. Just a simple thing, but very effective.
IHaveAFunnyName [OP] 1 points 7y ago
Thank you! We try to provide lots of sensory experiences and will be sure to look for lots of safe and different objects for him to feel. :)
charliemyheart 1 points 7y ago
I suggest teaching blind skills over forcing trying to get him to see. (Source I have had vision issues since I was born but not blind). I struggled with getting around and doing school work because I was neither fully sighted nor blind.
A friend who is blind, with a son who is as well(actually Andrew is deaf blind) join the organizations NFB was the main he suggested being he is a part of that one. But the others are good too.
A friend who is blind, with a son who is as well(actually Andrew is deaf blind) join the organizations NFB was the main he suggested being he is a part of that one. But the others are good too.
This nonprofit website is run by volunteers.
Please contribute if you can. Thank you!
Our mission is to provide everyone with access to large-
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
scale community websites for the good of humanity.
Without ads, without tracking, without greed.
©2023 HumbleCat Inc • HumbleCat is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Michigan, USA.