Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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My son has cortical vision impairment and is non verbal. (self.Blind)
submitted by just_keep_punching
My son is 8 years old and has cerebral palsy. He also uses a feeding tube for his nourishment. He is not able to communicate verbally so I am unsure what the world is like for him. He responds to light by squinting and seems to at times seem to respond to images and loves watching things closely on his iPad. His diagnosis is Cortical Vision Impairment. My understanding is that there can be some people who can somewhat see even if they are cortically blind. Is there anyone who could explain more about their experiences with this type of vision loss. I want to help him in as many ways as possible and a clearer understanding may help. Any suggestions to improve his quality of life would be great.
jogajaja 2 points 7y ago
Hi OP-
Teacher of the Blind/Visually Impaired here. Does your son have a vision teacher? I'm hoping he does, as he/she would be a great resource for you on some things you could do at home. The ipad is fun for kids with CVI, you're right. I've found that apps that have stories that are read out loud are enjoyable, as long as the graphics are not too complex.
As a general rule, that is something to keep in mind for your son. He probably likes/needs to keep things visually simple. Visual clutter is way too overwhelming for him, so one or two bright colors that he can focus on at a time will capture his interest. Classically it is usually red and yellow, but I try everything- some of my students with CVI love bright fluorescent colors. Most of them are attracted to things that shine or shimmer, like pom-poms, bows, etc. and you may notice that he will look at something, look away, and then react or grab it later. That is because his eyes and his brain aren't quite "synced up"; this is normal for CVI.
If you have some money that you can spend, you might buy a light table for your house. Teacher supply stores have them, and kids with CVi will almost always react favorably to them. Pinterest has tons of activities that you can do on a light table, from fun to academic (he can do all of his schoolwork on a light table, actually), if he enjoys it and it keeps his attention. The American Printing House for the Blind makes a big one, but it's very expensive, and even with blind quota funds that can pay for it for him to have at school, it's kind of limited use.
Talk to your son's vision teacher, if there is one, and if you have more questions, you can PM me anytime. :-)
Teacher of the Blind/Visually Impaired here. Does your son have a vision teacher? I'm hoping he does, as he/she would be a great resource for you on some things you could do at home. The ipad is fun for kids with CVI, you're right. I've found that apps that have stories that are read out loud are enjoyable, as long as the graphics are not too complex.
As a general rule, that is something to keep in mind for your son. He probably likes/needs to keep things visually simple. Visual clutter is way too overwhelming for him, so one or two bright colors that he can focus on at a time will capture his interest. Classically it is usually red and yellow, but I try everything- some of my students with CVI love bright fluorescent colors. Most of them are attracted to things that shine or shimmer, like pom-poms, bows, etc. and you may notice that he will look at something, look away, and then react or grab it later. That is because his eyes and his brain aren't quite "synced up"; this is normal for CVI.
If you have some money that you can spend, you might buy a light table for your house. Teacher supply stores have them, and kids with CVi will almost always react favorably to them. Pinterest has tons of activities that you can do on a light table, from fun to academic (he can do all of his schoolwork on a light table, actually), if he enjoys it and it keeps his attention. The American Printing House for the Blind makes a big one, but it's very expensive, and even with blind quota funds that can pay for it for him to have at school, it's kind of limited use.
Talk to your son's vision teacher, if there is one, and if you have more questions, you can PM me anytime. :-)
IHaveAFunnyName 2 points 7y ago
Are you a part of the cvi group on Facebook? Search cvi or cortical visual impairment, there is a great big support group :)
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