Transcript Visual Impairments - Eastern Connecticut State University

Visual Impairment
Kimberly M. Heimer
July 24, 2008
ECE 505.01
What does it mean to be visually impaired?
Federal Definition of Visual Impairment:
•“Visual impairment including blindness is defined as an impairment
in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s
educational performance. The term includes both partial, slight, and
blindness” (p. 346).
Bartlett, L.D., Weisenstein, G.R., & Etscheidt, S. (2002). Successful inclusion for educational leaders. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
•Visually Impaired can “refer to people who have never had any
visual functioning, as well as those who became gradually or
suddenly partially or totally blind” (p.176).
Paasche, C.L., Gorrill, L., & Strom, B. (2004). Children with special needs in early childhood settings
identification intervention inclusion. Canada: Delmar Learning.
• For the purpose of this presentation we will focus on visual
impairments in children.
Importance of early detection:
•According to research the first three months of a child’s life are the most
critical to the development of the visual system.
•Low vision, fluctuating vision, and blindness “can severely impede the
development of independence, communication, and social interactions”
(p.140).
McLean, M., Wolery, M., & Bailey Jr., D.B. (2004). Assessing infants and preschoolers with special needs. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
•“A lack of vision or reduced vision may result in delays or deficits in motor,
linguistic, cognitive, and social-behavioral development” (p. 346).
Bartlett, L.D., Weisenstein, G.R., & Etscheidt, S. (2002). Successful inclusion for educational leaders. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
•As a result early detection of any visual impairment is crucial in helping to
minimize the negative impact on a young child's development as they move
through life.
What to look for:
Physical Characteristics
The child’s eyes may
1.) be inflamed or watery.
2.) have reoccurring styes or infections.
3.) be red-rimmed, encrusted, and or have swollen eyelids.
4.) have different sized pupils.
5.) have drooping eyelids.
6.) be sensitive to light.
7.) see well one day and not the next.
8.) be crossed.
9.) be semi closed or squinted.
10.) appear to be focusing in different directions.
Paasche, C.L., Gorrill, L., & Strom, B. (2004). Children with special needs in early childhood settings identification intervention inclusion.
Canada: Delmar Learning.
What to look for cont…
Behavioral Characteristics
The child may
1.) close or cover one eye.
2.) squint eyes or frown.
3.) complain that things are blurry or hard to see.
4.) have trouble reading or doing other close-up work, and holds objects
close to eyes to see.
5.) blink more than usual.
6.) be cranky when doing close-up work (looking at books).
Vision Loss Fact Sheet, http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/VisionLossFactSheet.pdf
When should a child’s vision be checked?
A child’s vision should be checked by an ophthalmologist, pediatrician, or other
trained specialist at:
•Newborn-3 months
•6 months- 1 year
•About 3 years
•About 5 years
•This is especially important if someone in the family has vision problems
as research suggests that certain visual impairments may be genetic.
Vision Loss Fact Sheet, http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/VisionLossFactSheet.pdf
What causes visual impairment in children?
•There are many causes of visual impairments. “Any defect in the eye itself; in
the optic nerve, which carries visual messages to the brain; or in the vision
center in the brain may result in a visual impairment” (p. 80).
More specifically vision loss
can result from…
•Damage from injury
•Accidents
•Illness to any part of the
visual system
•Genetic disorders
•Congenital (present at birth)
abnormalities
Source: http://www.crowrivereyecare.com/articles/anatomy_a1.htm
•Premature birth
Don’t know much about the human eye? You’re not alone! Follow this link
http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/eyediagram/ to an interactive diagram of the human eye.
Pueschel, S.M., Scola, P.S., Weidenman, L.E., & Bernier, J.C. (1995). The special child: A source book for children with
developmental disabilities second edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Prevalence:
•Childhood blindness and severe visual impairment occurs in
approximately 2 to 10 per 10,000 births.
•Acquired visual impairment during childhood is 1/5 as
prevalent.
•Approximately ½ of congenital (present at birth) and later
onset blindness is the result of genetics.
•Research also suggests that children living with visual
impairments were found to have developmental delays and one
or more other disabilities.
Some common disabilities associated with visual impairments
are:
-Down Syndrome
-Seizure Disorders
-Autism
McLean, M., Wolery, M., & Bailey Jr., D.B. (2004). Assessing infants and preschoolers with special needs. Upper
Pearson Education, Inc.
Saddle River, NJ:
Common Childhood Visual Conditions:
Visual Condition
Nature of Condition
Effects on Vision
Albinism
At birth, absence of eye
pigment.
Loss of central vision,
poor depth.
Amblyopia
Reduced vision due to
lack of eye alignment.
“Lazy eye”, if
uncorrected brain turns
off vision in weaker
eye. Depth and acuity
effected.
Congenital Amaurosis
of Leber (CAL)
Degeneration
beginning in utero,
present at birth.
Profound vision loss at
birth.
Color Blindness
Dysfunction of the
cones, present at birth.
Difficulty differentiating
colors.
Congenital Glaucoma
Caused by increased
pressure in eye.
Cause early onset
blindness.
McLean, M., Wolery, M., & Bailey Jr., D.B. (2004). Assessing infants and preschoolers with special needs. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Visual Condition
Nature of Condition
Effects on Vision
Cortical Visual
Impairment
Lack of visual attention
and awareness.
Aware of flashing lights,
movement and bright
colors, vision changes
over time.
Nystagmus
Present at birth or
acquired condition.
Diminished acuity, turn
head to compensate.
Optic Atrophy
Degeneration of the
optic nerve. Congenital
or acquired as a result
of eye infection.
Slowed pupil responses,
visual field deficits,
color vision loss.
Optic Nerve
Hypoplasia
Nonprogressive,
congenital disorder of
the optic nerve.
Minimal vision
impairment-total
blindness.
Retinopathy of
Prematurity
Congenital condition
associated with
premature births.
Minimal-high vision
loss.
McLean, M., Wolery, M., & Bailey Jr., D.B. (2004). Assessing infants and preschoolers with special needs.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Follow this link http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/ to learn more about eye
conditions that can effect vision.
Adaptations and Augmentative Communication:
Curriculum•Reading and writing through the use of Braille (check out this website http://www.afb.org/braillebug/ ).
•Listening skills.
•Personal-social and daily living skills.
•Instruction in the use of special aids, equipment, and alternative learning materials.
• Educators should be familiar with media materials designed to teach skills and concepts that are
normally acquired through vision.
Orientation and Mobility Related Services•Service provided to blind or visually impaired students by qualified personnel to help these students
attain a systematic orientation to their school environment which allows them to move within this
environment safely.
•Use of information such as sound, temperature, vibrations etc…to determine location ex. the
vibration the water fountain makes.
•Use of a long cane as a tool to safely negotiate their environment.
Assistive Technology•Braille.
•Talking devices (clocks, spelling aids, speech calculators).
•Computers with speech recognition, magnification capabilities, and scan and read synthesizers
allowing children to put books onto the computer which will then help them read it.
•Magnifiers, mini telescopes, large print materials and tape recorded materials. (p. 347)
Bartlett, L.D., Weisenstein, G.R., & Etscheidt, S. (2002). Successful inclusion for educational leaders. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Classroom Implications:
•In addition to assistive technology teachers working with children who are visually impaired
must be especially sensitive to a child’s emotional needs.
•“An estimated 85% of the information people receive is transmitted through the visual sense”
(p. 130).
Kemple, K.M. (2004). Let's be friends: Peer competence and social inclusion in early childhood programs. New York, NY: Teachers
College Press.
•Think about how much information you send out and receive visually through:
* Facial expression
* Gestures
* Eye contact
* Body language
•Not being able to sense other peoples emotions, feelings, and or intentions can significantly
impact a child’s ability to acquire appropriate social skills.
•As a result it may be difficult for a child who is visually impaired to engage in the same
meaningful social opportunities as his/her peers.
•Thus it is important for classroom teachers to provide all children in their classroom with
appropriate opportunities for desirable peer interaction. Since children who are visually impaired
can not rely on visual cues to gain their peers attention it is important to
* have size restricted play spaces.
* help them learn all of their classmates names and identify them by the sounds of
their voices (name games, and circle time songs help ex. who stole the cookie from
the cookie jar?) (p. 131).
Classroom Adaptations:
•Physical environment (clear traffic patterns).
•Seating.
•Reduced glare to help children with some vision see better.
•Provide auditory supplement to visual information (reading information from board or
overhead projector—which could subsequently assist other non-visually impaired students who
are auditory learners.
•Enhance visual information in the classroom (large and dark print, dry-erase boards).
•Collaborate with support personnel (vision specialist) providing support through
-Supplemental instruction.
-Translate material into Braille.
-Serve as a consultant to the general education teacher.
(May also receive services from physical therapist, occupational therapist, or school nurse if
physical disabilities accompany the students visual impairment.)
•“Advances in technology and a variety of related services have facilitated the inclusion of
students with visual impairments in general education classrooms. The U.S. Department of
Education (1998) estimated that 48% of school-aged students with visual impairments are in
regular classes, 21% receive services in resource rooms, and 17% are educated in separate
classrooms” (p. 348).
•Please note that statistic is reported from 1998, I’m wondering if the number of visually
impaired children educated in regular education classrooms is significantly higher than that
today?
Bartlett, L.D., Weisenstein, G.R., & Etscheidt, S. (2002). Successful inclusion for educational leaders. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Family Involvement:
•“According to current research “professionals agree that providing support to families and
helping them become more involved in the lives of their visually impaired children are
important components of providing effective services to individuals with various types of
impairments” (Neibaur Day, J., & Kleinschmidt, J., 2005, p. 775).
I believe it is our job as teachers
to provide extended support to
the families of the children in our
classrooms. Helping families of
children who are visually
impaired build strong community
ties allows for an increased
awareness of and accessibility to
available resources. Which inturn
is an extremely important factor
in leading a fulfilling lifestyle for
all involved 
Other Useful Resources:
•National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities is a useful website providing information for children
living with various disabilities including vision loss including a focus on high quality education for children with
disabilities.
http://www.nichcy.org/
•Board of Education and Service for the Blind in CT (BESB) is a state agency that is “committed to providing high
quality educational and rehabilitative services to people who are legally blind, deaf-blind, and children who are
visually impaired at no cost to clients or families.
http://vvv.besb.state.ct.us/
•The Bureau of Rehabilitative Services (BRS) is a division of the CT State Department of Social Services. This agency
works to create opportunities that allow individuals to live and work independently.
http://www.brs.state.ct.us/
•Family Connect is an informative website designed to provide support to families raising children who are visually
impaired.
http://www.familyconnect.org/parentsitehome.asp
•National Eye Institute is a website which offers extensive resources on subjects related to vision loss.
http://www.nei.nih.gov/index.asp
•Advisor-Assisting the Development of Visually Impaired Students through Online Resources is another great
website full of useful links for parents and teachers working with children who are visually impaired or for anyone
interested in learning about visual impairments.
www.e-advisor.us/
•Dots for Families-Ongoing Literacy for Families of Children with Visual Impairments is a website that highlights
different resources available to families of children with visual impairments.
http://uacoe.arizona.edu/viliteracy/
•American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is an organization that works to expand possibilities for people
living with vision impairment. This website is full of informative links for families and children who are
impacted by visual impairment.
http://www.afb.org/
•National Federation of the Blind Voices of the Nation’s Blind (NFB) is an organization that works to
promote equality for the blind through advocacy, education, research, technology, and various programs
encouraging independence and self-confidence. This website is full of many great links.
http://www.nfb.org
References
Bartlett, L.D., Weisenstein, G.R., & Etscheidt, S. (2002). Successful inclusion for educational leaders. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Disability Info: Visual Impairments Fact Sheet (FS13), http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs13txt.htm
Kemple, K.M. (2004). Let's be friends: Peer competence and social inclusion in early childhood programs. New York,
NY: Teachers College Press.
McLean, M., Wolery, M., & Bailey Jr., D.B. (2004). Assessing infants and preschoolers with special needs. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Neibaur Day, J., & Kleinschmidt, J. (2005). The efficacy of family camp experience for families who have children
with visual impairments. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. 99 (12), 775-779.
Paasche, C.L., Gorrill, L., & Strom, B. (2004). Children with special needs in early childhood settings
identification intervention inclusion. Canada: Delmar Learning.
Pueschel, S.M., Scola, P.S., Weidenman, L.E., & Bernier, J.C. (1995). The special child: A source book for children with
developmental disabilities second edition. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
The National Eye Institue, http://www.nei.nih.gov/index.asp
Vision Loss Fact Sheet, http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/VisionLossFactSheet.pdf.