Meet Isaac
Growing up with multiple disabilities is not the life that any parent imagines or wants for their child. Mayra and Erick learned Isaac had spina bifida when she was 18 weeks pregnant, so they had time to prepare. After he was born they noticed he wasn’t responding to their faces or his toys, and they suspected he also had a visual impairment. “Vision is one of the most essential senses, and it worried us to know how Isaac was going to experience life,” said Mayra.

The family began working with their A Shared Vision teacher just before Isaac received his cortical visual impairment diagnosis in 2021. One of their favorite activities was the “little room” for engaging Isaac’s senses. A little room is a small, enclosed space made of three sides and a roof and decorated with objects Isaac could reach for and touch. Stimulating his vision helped him reach other milestones. Isaac can recognize familiar faces and favorite toys, make choices when presented with two objects, and see food on his tray and feed himself.

Now two years old, his favorite activity is crawling military-style or rolling toward what he wants, including his older brother whom he adores. “He’s having a blast being independent!” said Mayra.

Once Mayra and Erick were connected to resources for Isaac, they found it wasn’t impossible for Isaac to do things like a typical child, he’d just do them differently. This knowledge has empowered Mayra so much she shared her journey at the WREIC conference this June on a panel with other parents. Her advice? “Don’t waste energy grieving for the loss of what your child might not be able to do. Use this energy to figure out the resources you’ll need to support your child so you can give them the best life they can possibly have.”
Play in a Kitchen Band
Let’s make music together at our next Mystery Party! No special instruments or talent required. Join us on Thursday, September 28 from 1 to 2 pm via Zoom as we show you how to play in a kitchen band with your child. Our special guest will be Amanda Brigham, a board-certified music therapist and owner of Colorado Music Therapy Services, LLC. 

Using interactive songs and rhythm games, Amanda will demonstrate the importance of musical play for children who are blind or visually impaired. Families just need a few instruments from their kitchen, such as a pot, a lid, a colander, and measuring spoons, to participate in this fun activity. The event is open to all current and former A Shared Vision families, as well as siblings and other family members. Sign up HERE.
Building Social Communication Skills
Joint or shared attention is required for the development of communication, language development, and social skills. It is about connecting with another person by sharing the same experience. Joint attention doesn’t require the use of vision, either. You can both pay attention to the same object or experience through your other senses. For example, if your child likes the sound of a toy when it rattles, you can listen to the toy together and touch it, and then you can talk about its sound and how it makes you laugh.

The first step toward joint attention is to follow your child’s lead. What is your child interested in or attending to? Then you both pay attention to the same thing and create a shared experience.

In the picture, the daughter has a visual impairment. She is sitting in her mother’s lap, and their bodies are close. She is turning toward her mother’s face because she is attracted to her voice when she sings. They are bonding through sound and touch.

HERE is more information from FamilyConnect on social communication skills and how to adapt your language in the absence of visual information.
Fruity Ice Pops Sensory Recipe
When it's hot outside, there's nothing like cooling off with something cold and icy. This recipe for ice pops is made with real fruit and juice. Because you make the ice pops in ice cube trays, they’re the perfect size for small mouths and hands, and a stick inserted in each ice pop creates an easy handle for your child to hold on to.

Learn how to make the sensory recipe HERE.

10 Summery Sensory Experiences
Children with blindness and visual impairments learn best from real, hands-on experiences within the context of familiar routines and outings. 

With warm weather, it’s time to get outside and help your child become more in tune with their senses. When you’re out exploring a park or playground, use your senses to experience the surroundings -- the smell of the grass, the rough tree bark, the squeaky swing, and the snack you brought that day. Narrating your day in the park out loud engages your child in the experience, and it helps them attach meaning to objects when sight isn’t available.

Here are our ten favorite sensory experiences to do this time of year.

  1. Walk barefoot in the grass.
  2. Feel the warm sun on your face.
  3. Listen for birds.
  4. Lick an ice pop that you made using a sensory recipe.
  5. Pick strawberries and eat them.
  6. Scoop sand into a bucket.
  7. Feel the wind on your face when swinging.
  8. Go fast and slow – in a stroller or in a wheelchair.
  9. Splash in a baby pool.
  10. Talk about body parts as you apply sunscreen.
Sign Up for Vision Screening Training
If you are on an EI Eligibility Assessment team, it’s not too late to sign up for the required vision screening training. The Vision Screening Parent Questionnaire (2022) is the official approved vision screening tool for early intervention evaluations. The training consists of three required modules. Per EI Colorado, evaluators must complete the training and pass the follow-up test in order to use the tool. Sign up for training dates in September HERE.
A Shared Vision is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the leading provider of in-home and community early intervention vision services in Colorado. We inspire and empower families to nurture the development of their very young children who are blind or visually impaired so that all children may discover their brightest future.
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