Early support developmental journal for children with visual impairment: the case for a new developmental framework for early intervention (original) (raw)
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International Congress Series, 2005
Objective: The aim of this project is to provide a national developmental monitoring protocol for infants and young children (0-36 months) with severe visual impairment (VI) that is underpinned by a scientific developmental framework. The profile will be used to inform and assist parents to help their baby progress and to recognise and, where possible, overcome areas of vulnerability in conjunction with their specialist teacher for the visually impaired and other professionals. Design: The work of our group and others has shown that infants with severe visual impairment are a particularly vulnerable group within the population of children with disability. They require a developmental profile that is specific to their developmental patterns and needs. The protocol is designed to provide practical guidance for parents and their keyworker on activities to promote the development of all skills. The development of the protocol draws on our specialist team's clinical experience, recent research and other developmental scales for young children with visual impairment (e.g. Oregon) and is informed by focus groups and piloting with parents and qualified teachers of children with visual impairment. Results: We describe the justification of the developmental framework, the outcome of focus groups with parents and specialist teachers and plans for implementation including the strategy for a local and regional health and education service framework for early intervention. Conclusions: This paper describes the first stage of development of this national monitoring protocol and guidance for parents of young children with visual impairment which will have important implications for services both nationally and internationally. D 2005 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 2018
To investigate the effects of home-based early intervention in children with severe visual impairment using the Developmental Journal for babies and young children with visual impairment (DJVI). METHOD A longitudinal observational study was undertaken with a national cohort (OPTIMUM) of infants with congenital disorders of the peripheral visual system (CDPVS) and profound-severe visual impairment; and followed up after 12 months and 24 months. Intervention was categorized according to the practitioner diary records of their usual practice over 12 months from baseline comparing those receiving the DJVI and those receiving 'Other Support'. Outcome measures of cognition and language, behaviour difficulties, parenting stress, and satisfaction with parent-practitioner partnership were collected. RESULTS In the 54 children (26 males, 28 females, baseline mean age 13.5mo, SD 2.3mo, range 8-17mo) with 'total' CDPVS (including 16 'complex' and 38 'simple' with or without known brain disorder respectively), linear mixed effects pointed towards acceleration in sensorimotor understanding and expressive language especially in the 'simple' subsample (11.72 developmental quotient, 95% confidence interval À1.17 to 24.61, p>0.05) in those receiving the DJVI. Vision level also predicted outcomes (p<0.05). The DJVI group showed improvements in behavioural withdrawal (g 2 =0.20, p=0.02, 'simple') and parenting stress (d=0.78, d=0.92, p=0.02 total and 'simple' respectively) and perceived practitioner-parent relationship (g 2 =0.16, p=0.01).
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness
Introduction The foundational concepts of early intervention are: family-centered and relationship-based practices, natural environments, child learning, adult learning, and quality team practices (Pletcher & Younggren, 2013). In this literature review, the authors consider the application of these concepts to services provided to families of infants and toddlers with visual impairments (that is, those with blindness or low vision) by vision professionals. Methods Three databases (ERIC, ProQuest, and PsychINFO) were used to search for articles from 1997 to 2016, focusing specifically on infants and toddlers with visual impairments. Twenty-seven articles met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Results Family-centered practices are valued by virtually all researchers in the field of visual impairment. Practices that promote parent-child relationships are especially important, given the specialized needs for early communication and the development of strong social relationships. ...
Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability
Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology
Childhood visual impairment confers significant potential adversity on the individual, their family, and on wider society. 1,2 To address this at societal and individual levels, primary (preventing blinding disease from occurring), secondary (treatment of established disease to reduce negative impact), and tertiary prevention approaches are required. 3-5 Tertiary prevention approaches comprise interventions that mitigate the impact of established visual disability or associated disorders on the life of the child and the adult they become. These interventions may be simple, such as the provision of low vision aids, or more complex, such as the provision of parenting support, or the development of individualized 'packages' of multidisciplinary care for the additional physical, educational, psychological, and social developmental needs of the affected child. 6 In recognition of the high burden of the numerous developmental and non-ophthalmic disorders that coexist in children with impaired vision, multidisciplinary assessment of children newly diagnosed with visual disability is advocated. 1,3,7 Almost two decades ago, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study (BCVIS; 2003) confirmed that in the UK most children newly diagnosed with severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL; vision worse than 1.0 logMAR [logarithm of the minimum angle of
Visually Impaired Infants Research Consortium (Viirc): First-Year Results
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 1990
This article reports on a pilot study, conducted by the Visually Impaired Infants Research Consortium, of 21 developmental milestones achieved by 82 visually impaired children in New York City. Some delays in visual-motor activities were found, as well as differences in the sequence of acquiring skills. The subgroup of visually impaired children with multiple handicaps acquired milestones at a slower rate than did the subgroup of visually impaired children with no additional handicapping conditions.
2019
Background An increasing amount of children suffer from brain damage-related visual processing dysfunctions (VPD). At present, there is a lack of evidence-based intervention methods that can be used early in development. We developed a visual intervention protocol suitable from 1 year of age. The protocol is structured, comprehensive and individually-adaptive and is paired with quantitative outcome assessments. Our aim is to investigate effectiveness of this first visual intervention program for young children with (a risk of) VPD. Methods We conduct a single-blind, placebo-controlled trial that is embedded within standard clinical care. The study population consists of 100 children born very or extremely preterm (<30 weeks) of 1 year of corrected age (CA), of whom 50% are expected to have VPD. First, children undergo a visual screening at 1 year CA. If they are classified as being at risk of VPD, they are referred to standard care: an ophthalmic and visual function assessment an...
How to help children with neurodevelopmental and visual problems: a scoping review
British Journal of Ophthalmology, 2013
Children with visual impairment and a condition affecting their neurodevelopment (children with VND) may require extensive and specialised help but evidence on the most effective strategies for visual improvement is lacking. We defined a PICO format (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome) for a scoping review and systematically searched 13 databases. Two reviewers assessed the abstracts for inclusion and a third arbitrated in cases of disagreement. We abstracted data from included studies. We found 4450 abstracts from which we identified 107 papers for inclusion. Of these, 42 related to interventions involving a change in visual input or function: 5 controlled trials, 8 before and after studies and 29 case reports. The strongest evidence supported the provision of spectacles to improve distance or near vision and the use of ultraviolet light as environmental modification for training. Less strong but suggestive evidence supported training/practice routines to improve acuity or oculomotor control. Interventions exist to help children with VND and current recommendations that they are assessed by a vision specialist are supported by the evidence. More information is needed on the effectiveness of training/ practice programmes which may promote improved function, and of environmental modifications to facilitate engagement of children with VND with the surroundings.
Early Childhood Special Education for Children with Visual Impairments: Problems and Solutions
Studies showing developmental delays in infants and children with visual impairments have triggered early childhood special education studies for this population. Early childhood special education guidelines for visually impaired infants and children range from individualized services to personnel preparation issues while all display certain limitations in practice. Th is study focuses on the problems faced in the implementation of these guidelines and some possible solutions regarding these limitations, in light of a thorough literature review. Th ese guidelines included steps to be taken in determining the developmental patterns of visually impaired young children, providing instruction in all areas of development, personnel preparation, assessment and evaluation as well as mainstreaming practices and several solutions to overcome barriers were proposed. Th is discussion is believed to shed light on planning and implementing eff ective support services for infants and children with visual impairments.
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness
Introduction Professionals working with infants and toddlers with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) were surveyed regarding their preservice training and their awareness and use of 29 resources related to young children who are visually impaired. Methods Early intervention visual impairment professionals ( n = 109) from 11 states completed a survey called the Early Intervention Visual Impairment Self-Efficacy Evaluation. The online tool was distributed to all professionals in each target state. Results Thirty-eight percent of respondents indicated that the preservice program at which they received training as teachers of visually impaired students or orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists did not include content or experiences related to infants and toddlers with visual impairments. In addition, given three types of resources including books and curriculum ( n = 12), websites ( n = 5), and online or “eLearning” courses ( n = 12), websites were ...