Adaptations for learners with Cortical Visual Impairment at home

At a glance Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is a neurological impairment that impacts an individual’s visual functioning. Occurs at a high rate among children with multiple disabilities, children with Cerebral Palsy, and children with developmental disabilities. Vision can range from a mild to a profound visual impairment.

Written by: Talia Mango

At a glance

Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) is a neurological impairment that impacts an individual’s visual functioning.
Occurs at a high rate among children with multiple disabilities, children with Cerebral Palsy, and children with developmental disabilities.
Vision can range from a mild to a profound visual impairment.
With the appropriate assessment and intervention, the visual functioning of a child with CVI can often improve.
The following suggestions are helpful tips, however, you should additionally consider reviewing The 10 Characteristics (Roman-Lantzy, 2018) to guide your decision making.

Adaptations for the home environment

Simplification of the environment

Control the amount of visual clutter in view. For example, experiment with placing your child’s desk or table in a less busy area of the house.
Eliminate background noise by turning off televisions, radios, or appliances that make a lot of noise during dedicated work times.
All children, but especially children with CVI, need breaks from screen time. Provide your child with regular visual breaks throughout the day.
If possible, consider using a dark blanket or towel to block stimulating backgrounds.

Illumination

If possible, position your child with his or her back to the window.
Use lighting to your advantage! If there is too much natural light or glare, consider bringing the shades down or using an old blanket to cover the window.
To encourage attention or looking, illuminate the items you do want your child to attend to. If you have a flashlight, you can use it as a spot light when showing materials or objects to encourage visual attention from your child.
When using laminated materials, adjust the position of the item to minimize the amount of glare.

Materials

Limit the amount of items on the kitchen table during activities (i.e. mealtime, arts and craft, school work).
Simplify! Select learning materials (i.e. puzzles, worksheets) that are less visually complex or “busy”.
If your child has preferred colors (i.e. red, yellow, etc.), consider outlining materials in those colors.
Create high contrast materials by placing them on a black piece of construction paper, dark blanket, or towel.