|
Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the most common cause of visual impairment affecting children in the economically developed world, with the prediction that numbers will continue to rise with continued advancements in medical care for neonates. Despite this increase, many children are still being supported with approaches that have been developed for children with ocular visual impairments, as there are limited evidence-based approaches for supporting children with CVI. For her doctoral research, Nicola McDowell proposed a CVI practice framework to help meet the specific needs of children with CVI that can be used within an education or habilitation/rehabilitation context. The framework was based on her own experience of developing a successful rehabilitation programme to improve her visual and overall functioning following a late CVI diagnosis. From this programme, Nicola identified three main components that led to the improvements in her quality of life. These included the development of an individual CVI profile, an individualised programme, and empowerment through the attainment of knowledge. To ascertain whether a similar approach could be effective for children with CVI, Nicola conducted a number of different research projects to assess the effectiveness of each individual component and the overall framework. Results from the different research projects show that the CVI practice framework has the potential to be an effective approach for supporting children with CVI. |
