Laila who is a 15 month old child in the infant room, has been diagnosed with severe vision impairment.

Her parents have explained that they are concerned about her not being able to socialize and form friendship with her peers and as well as her safety with in the center. They are expecting their second child and are new to the city and have asked for services in the area.

Parents needs: Wanting Laila to socialize or form friendship with her peers They want Laila to be safe in the center because she is not able to see and is at the age of children getting their hands on everything they can grasp They have moved to the city not long ago and are overwhelmed and are seeking support Services available to them with in the area

Rearrange room to make it spacious and within reach of child Have books and writing in large prints When giving directions to child make sure to make it clear and simple for the child to understand and follow Books in braille Materials are safe A sense of belonging Play objects have sound and texture for child to know where it is and how it feels

Vision impairment is an issue in either one or both eye, causing person to lose sight. It can either be corrected by prescribed glasses or contact lenses. Although with severe vision impairment, it cannot be corrected. There are different types of Sever vision impairment which includes : Glaucoma

Dry eye syndrome Cataracts

We tend to mistaken signs and symptoms of children overreacting or playing a game. If a child is covering one eye with their hand and looking at you with the other, you would probably mistaken that as them playing hide and seek or trying to wink, when really they are blocking off the one eye that is blurred to them so that they are able to see you better. Excessive tearing - blocked tear ducts Red or encrusted eye lids - this may result to a sign of an eye infection Constant eye turning - may signal a problem with eye muscle control Extreme sensitivity to light - may indicate that there is pressure in the eye Appearance of a white pupil - may indicate the presence of an eye cancer With reduction of vision, child may also experience:

eye pain a burning or gritty sensation in your eyes a blurring or distortion of vision

The appearance of any of these signs and symptoms should require immediate attention by a pediatrician or optometrist.

It can occur from birth It may develop later on in life due to an accident, or some kind of illness It can also be inherited through genetics There are other disabilities that can cause vision impairment (epilepsy, intellectual disability and down syndrome

Erin Oak Kids South Millway Mississauga 2277 South Millway Mississauga, Ontario, L5L 2M5 contact information (905) 855.2690 1 (877) 374.6625 http://www.erinoakkids.ca/AboutUs/Locations.aspx

Toronto Preschool Speech & Language Services Toronto Public Health 416-338-8255 (voice) 416-338-0025 (TTY) tpsls@toronto.ca Monday Friday 8:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. http://www.tpsls.on.ca/index.htm

CNIB 1929 Bayview Ave, Toronto ON CONTACT US Email CNIB or call 1-800-563-2642

The learning that took place for me during this project was the fact that there were more than one type of vision impairment. The signs and symptoms that occur for the different impairments were in a way similar. So personally I thought that it was confusing considering that all signs and symptoms were the same, so how would doctors be able to tell the difference and give the right diagnosis to the parent of the child. I learned that there are different ways that a teacher and a parent could help a child with severe hearing impairment be comfortable with their peers and their surroundings. What I would do differently if I ever came across this kind of assignment again, is that I would gather more information and make it more informative and on point. Also I would probably go into the books at the library to look up more information on the subject to get more into details. The challenges that I faced during this project was my computer and the black out that happened. I lost everything and had to restart my whole entire project again. Making it hard to find the right information that I had from before and being able to calm myself about the situation of having to restart everything again.

Iep's for parents of blind or visually impaired children. (2006 - 2014). Retrieved from http://www.wonderbaby.org/articles/ieps-parents-blind-or-visually-impaired-children Brown, C. (n.d.). General considerations in working with young children with visual impairments. Retrieved from http://www.tsbvi.edu/program-and-administrative-resources/3270-generalconsiderations-in-working-with-young-children-with-visual-impairments Vision impairment. (2013, December 04). Retrieved from http://www.cyh.com/healthtopics/healthtopicdetails.aspx?p=114&np=306&id=1873 Educating students with visual impairments for inclusion in society . (2013). Retrieved from http://www.afb.org/info/programs-and-services/professional-development/teachers/inclusiveeducation/1235 Symptoms of visual impairment. (2009 - 2014). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.boots.com/a-to-zguides/tc/blindness-symptoms-of-visual-impairment Infant vision: birth to 24 months of age. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.aoa.org/patients-andpublic/good-vision-throughout-life/childrens-vision/infant-vision-birth-to-24-months-of-age Toronto preschool speech and language services. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.tpsls.on.ca/index.htm Erinoakkids. (2013, June 26). Retrieved from http://www.erinoakkids.ca/home.aspx Cnib low vision clinics and cnib lions low vision clinics. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.cnib.ca/en/ontario/programs-services/programs/Pages/default.aspx http://www.nei.nih.gov/resources/strategicplans/neiplan/frm_impairment.asp http://www.ridbc.org.au/blindness http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/visualimpairment http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/arts/2012/05/21/341701/p2/Visually-impaired.htm http://www.braillecards.co.uk/whats-braille Dry eyes. (2012, AUGUST 04). Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dryeyes/basics/causes/con-20024129