Your childs development
Sight loss affects a baby’s development in many ways, including the ability to gather information and early mobility. Vision is the primary sense for early learning which when combined with the other senses provides the support for infant learning and the starting point of understanding the world around us.
The development of concepts such as self, others, objects and the environment is essential to be able to effectively communicate, travel, and be independent. Children with sight loss must often be taught these same concepts through repeated exposure in an intentional manner because they are missing out on the incidental learning that comes through looking and watching.
For example, a baby’s motivation to move or reach towards something is challenging when vision is limited. The desire to touch and play with a toy is not as strong when you cannot see the exciting things all around you and how others use and interact with them.
When a baby is born with sight loss there is uncertainty about what and how much they can see. It is important where possible to help them develop their vision to its maximum potential. Assessment and interventions are provided by NCBI throughout childhood and beyond; we aim to continually gather information about a child’s functional vision and development to create an individual and structured approach to enable us to deliver advice, support and training for the child and its family.
For further information on our services to children, contact NCBI today on:
Phone: 01 830 7033
or Email: [email protected]