Compensatory Functions

87. Visually impaired children depend on their auditoryinformation more than do sighted children. If the child is nearly blind, responsesto auditory information differ from those of normally sighted infant. At the ageof six months the infant does NOT turn eyes and head toward a sound at ear level.The normal response of severely visually impaired infant is to become quite quiet,almost "frozen" while intensively trying to understand what the new soundwas.

88. A normal response to environmental sounds is seenhere. When a play thing, a cloth frog with nylon pearls inside, is moved in themidline above the child so that there is just perceptible rustle, the HANDS REACHtoward the object.

89. The visually impaired infant needs to learn to usetheir hands to explore things, also their parents. - Fathers are often even moreinteresting to study than mothers, if the play situation is arranged so that theinfant/child feels father's face in the morning before he has shaved, then when onehalf of the face is shaved and next then when also the other half of the face isshaved. Such a play situation is good training also in object permanence and givesthe little head a lot to think for most of the morning.

90. Visually impaired children need to tactilly studyobjects that would not be given to sighted child to touch, because otherwise theseobjects do not really exist to the child. Of course next to the child there is anadult person to make sure that no accidents happen.

91. Visually impaired children need to tactilly explorethings that other children are forbidden to touch like the thermostate in this picture.

92. Some visually impaired children have hypersensitivehands and avoid touching soap and other slimy surfaces and also soft materialslike dough. If rather hard doughs are used in the beginning, the child may acceptsofter and softer doughs later.

93. Also touching furry materials may be experiencedunpleasant but in most cases touching alive animals is acceptable. So, if the childhas the opportunity of playing with pets, it is good training of the hands at thesame time as it is emotionally rewarding.

94. In areas where there is cold winter, it causes specificproblems to visually impaired children. Because their hands are so important forinformation, the children may not want to have mittens even in rather cold weather.However, when the little hands are cold, their sensitivity is greatly decreased.

95. Visually impaired children may use mouth for explorationmuch later than do sighted children. Because of that it is important to rememberto avoid metal surfaces in their play things so that these will not freeze on theirlips and tongue. (However, most sighted children have that experience before theylearn not to put metal things in their mouth in cold weather.)

96. When planning for their physical exercises, we shouldremember their needs for information. In a case like this, when the child is veryseverely visually impaired and is having her first lesson in skating, she is severelydeprived of information: her helmet does not have holes at ears so she cannot hearjust anything, she has mittens on her hands so she cannot feel anything and she cannotsee almost anything because everything is so white. No wonder, if she does not reallyunderstand why adult people claim that skating is fun!

97. During a long winter a trip to warmer climate isfun for all children but even more so to a visually impaired child.

98. An important compensation for the loss of visualinformation is gained by using the eyes of siblings. Playing together with thesiblings who explain the play situation to the visually impaired child is an importantpart of early intervention.

99. Siblings also can be a good model in everyday tasksin the family and help the visually impaired child to become a productive memberof the family.

100. The sibling may not be able to talk, yet informationis convayed very clearly through demonstration.

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