Helping children who are blind : family and community support for children with vision problems

Children develop faster during their first five years than at any other stage in their life. And while children who are not visually impaired learn to move around, communicate, and understand the world naturally as they interact with people and things they see, children who are blind need extra help learning how to rely on their other senses - hearing, touch, smell, and taste - to explore, learn and interact with the world around them. The simple and engaging activities in this book can help parents, caregivers, teachers, health workers, rehabilitation workers, and others help a child with vision problems develop all his or her capabilities. Topics include: assessing how much a child can see, preventing blindness, helping a child move around safely, how to include learning activities in daily work, preparing for childcare and school, supporting parents of blind children, and teaching common activities like eating, dressing, and keeping clean. Contents 7 1 How can I help my child? 10 2 Getting started 20 3 General guidelines for learning activities 24 4 Finding out what your child can see 32 5 Activities for the young baby 40 6 Communication 54 7 Thinking skills 68 8 Teaching everyday activities 80 9 Safety 94 10 Movement 98 11 Helping your child know where she is (orientation) 110 12 Preventing sexual abuse 124 13 Becoming part of the community 134 14 Getting ready for child-care and school 144 15 Support for parents and caregivers 150 16 Why children lose their vision and what we can do 164 17 As your child gets older 178 Appendix A: child development charts 185 Appendix B; toys you can make 193 Where to get more information 197