Vision Support
What do we do?
Vision Support offer support to children and young People with visual impairment and their families from birth to 25. Through assessing and identifying individual needs, we ensure inclusion within all settings.
This is achieved through the direct teaching of specialist skills (Tactile Literacy, ICT and Habilitation), advice on specialist equipment and the provision in some cases of modified work materials. Training is available to all those working with the child or young person and through joint working with a range of other professionals, we ensure social and emotional wellbeing.
Referral to vision Support
If a child does not have a diagnosed vision impairment ie diagnosed by a health professional, a referral can still be made to Vision Support and an assessment can be undertaken of functional vision. However where there are concerns, we strongly advise that a referral is also made through a health professional such as the family GP, for a medical assessment of vision.
To make a referral to Vision Support, please use the link below to the online form. Referral can be made directly by parents/carers. If you are referring as a professional, please ensure that you have parental consent and ideally complete the form with parents/carers so that all sections can be completed. If you have any questions re completion of the form, please contact us using details given on this page.
What happens next?
An initial visit will be made by a Qualified Teacher of the Visually Impaired and an assessment of functional vision will be completed. This will inform next steps.
In many cases, some basic recommendations are all that is required to ensure the child or young person has continued access to learning. Others may require specialist approaches towards teaching and learning, and will need on-going support with specialist programmes and monitoring visits.
Support in the home can be provided for pre-school children and their families. We delivery specialist programmes by qualified and experienced staff and we offer training for parents, siblings and other family members as appropriate.
We hold monthly support groups for parents and arrange social activities for families.
We provide Functional Visual Assessments and information regarding visual conditions and their implications for learning. We make basic recommendations regarding visual management to ensure effective and on-going access to learning for the children and young people.
We make recommendations regarding purchasing and the use of specialist equipment and we can offer advice regarding the modification of work and access to examinations.
We deliver specialist teaching sessions; including Tactile Literacy, ICT and Habilitation. We undertake Access Audits and offer support from Qualified Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Specialist Support Workers and Qualified Habilitation Specialists, as deemed appropriate by ourselves.
We provide habilitation assessment training, guidance and support to children and young people (0-25) with visual impairments.
Habilitation refers to the teaching of Mobility and Orientation and Independent Living Skills. The training aims to develop skills, knowledge and attitude for safer travelling and encourage greater independence for a child or young person with a visual impairment.
Visual impairments vary and the impact it may have on a child or young person accessing their physical environment will also vary. Therefore, the habilitation programme and training is developed in consultation with the child or young person and all persons who may be involved with their support, to ensure the best outcomes are achieved.
Vision impairment ranges from blindness or very low vision to an inability to see particular colours.
Some babies might have vision impairment at birth. It can also happen later as a result of injury or a medical condition.
Severe vision loss or blindness can affect your child’s development and learning. Early intervention can help your child reach their potential.
What should parents look out for?
Children who have vision impairment might have normal looking eyes. Often, it will be something in a child’s behaviour or the way they use their eyes that makes you think there might be a problem with the way they see.
What to look for in babies
Most babies start to focus on faces and objects by 4-5 weeks of age. By about 6-8 weeks, most babies will start smiling at the familiar faces and things they see. But if a baby has a vision impairment, they might not do this.
Babies older than 3 months should be able to follow or “track” an object, like a toy or ball, with their eyes as it moves across their field of vision. If your baby can’t make steady eye contact by this time or seems unable to see, let your doctor know.
Before 4 months most babies’ eyes occasionally look misaligned (known as strabismus). However, after 4 months of age inward crossing or outward drifting that occurs regularly is usually abnormal. If you notice this, let your doctor know.
Signs that a baby older than 4 months might have a vision problem are:
- eyes moving quickly from side to side (known as nystagmus) jerking or wandering randomly
- eyes not following your face or an object, or making eye contact with family or friends
- eyes not reacting to a bright light being turned on in a room
- pupils appearing white or cloudy rather than black
- eyes not appearing straight but turning towards the nose or drifting outwards
What to look for in toddlers
Vision problems such as a “lazy eye” or “squint” (known as amblyopia) may have no warning signs, and your child may not complain of vision problems. For this reason it is important to have your child’s vision checked.
Other indicators in toddlers might be:
- holding things close to their face
- complaining of tiredness
- frequent rubbing of the eyes
- turning or tilting the head or covering one eye when viewing an object up close
- getting tired after looking at things up close – eg reading, drawing, playing hand-held games
- seeming to see better during the day than at night
- seeming to have crossed or turned eyes or a squint (lazy eye)
- seeming clumsy – for example, knocking things over or tripping often.
What to look for in all children
If you notice any of the following let your doctor know immediately:
- eyes that are misaligned (look crossed, turn out, or don’t focus together)
- white or greyish-white colour in the pupil
- eyes that flutter quickly from side to side or up and down
- bulging eye(s)
- complaining of eye pain, itchiness, or discomfort
- redness in either eye that doesn’t go away in a few days
- discharge in either eye
- eyes that are always watery
- drooping eyelid(s)
- frequently screwing eyes up
- constant sensitivity to light
- any change in the eyes from how they usually look
Diagnosis
Getting a diagnosis is the first step to the right support.
If you’re worried about your child’s vision, you need to get their eyes checked.
Your GP can send you to a children’s eye specialist (ophthalmologist). They will do tests to find out what the problem is.
Contact Us
Childrens’ Disability
Church Square House
30-40 High Street
Scunthorpe
North Lincolnshire
DN156NL
01724 407988
Opening Times:
Monday – Friday, approx 9am to 5pm, during school term time only.
Further Information
- Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Call: 0303 123 9999
- Unified English Braille (UEB) online is a training programme for sighted people to learn Unified English Braille (UEB)