Designing intervention methods for young children with visual impairments to promote vision use

The majority of children with visual impairments have some useful vision, and it is considered imperative to maximize the use of this vision at an early age to promote optimal development across all domains of function. Vision intervention approaches for young children with vision loss now stress the importance of infusing instruction into a range of developmental areas and functional needs. A working model for organizing vision intervention practices is presented. It describes detailed instructional methods that promote vision skills and behaviors to facilitate the development of exploratory, cognitive, motor, language, and social skills that are incorporated into naturally occurring tasks in the school, the home, and community.