Search

The aim of this project was to understand how enablers (e.g., teaching assistants, paraprofessionals and support workers) access and use information about students with vision impairment (VI) to support them in specialist education. The one-page profile is used widely as a tool for learner-centred planning and information, and is generally seen to be effective and accessible. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that video is an extremely effective medium for training and support in a range of settings. We investigated whether student self-advocacy video clips would be an effective and accessible medium for presenting information about students' support needs. This study took the form of a pre- and post-questionnaire. The aim of the pre-questionnaire was to gauge current levels of enabler confidence and assess the effectiveness of existing methods of accessing learner information. A total of 15 enablers were given this questionnaire to complete. Six students (aged 11–17 years) with VI and additional complex support needs were then each supported to develop a short video in which they expressed their support needs in an education setting. The enablers were asked to watch the video clips, and complete the post-questionnaire to assess the impact these videos had on their confidence and understanding. Twelve out of the 15 enablers returned the second questionnaire. The questionnaire results demonstrated that current methods for accessing learner information were not wholly effective. Enablers found video to be a desirable and accessible format for presenting learner information. Participants found the medium of video to significantly aid retention and recollection of student information. From the findings, it emerged that one-page profiles remained the preferred single method of accessing student information. However, overall, we found that enablers favoured a multi-method approach to presenting and accessing learner information that was dependent on time and context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five table-top tasks were developed to test the visual search ability of children and young people in a real-world context, and to assess the transfer of training-related improvements in visual search on computerised tasks to real-world activities. Each task involved searching for a set of target objects among distracting objects on a table-top. Performance on the Table-top Visual Search Ability Test for Children (TVSAT-C) was measured as the time spent searching for targets divided by the number of targets found. A total of 108 typically developing children (3–11 years old) and eight children with vision impairment (7–12 years old) participated in the study. A significant correlation was found between log-transformed age and log-transformed performance (R 2 =.65, p = 4 × 10−26) in our normative sample, indicating a monomial power law relationship between age and performance with an exponent of − 1. 67 , 95 % CI [ − 1. 90 , − 1. 43 ]. We calculated age-dependent percentiles and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated the third percentile as the optimal cut-off for detecting a visual search deficit, giving a specificity of 97. 2 % , 95 % CI [ 92. 2 % , 99. 1 % ] and sensitivity of 87. 5 % , 95 % CI [ 52. 9 % , 97. 8 % ] for the test. Further studies are required to calculate measures of reliability and external validity, to confirm sensitivity for visual search deficits, and to investigate the most appropriate response modes for participants with conditions that affect manual dexterity. In addition, more work is needed to assess construct validity where semantic knowledge is required that younger children may not have experience with. We have made the protocol and age-dependent normative data available for those interested in using the test in research or practice, and to illustrate the smooth developmental trajectory of visual search ability during childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rehabilitation can improve visual outcomes for adults with acquired homonymous visual field loss. It is unclear, however, whether rehabilitation improves visual outcomes for children because previous training schedules have been tiresome, uninteresting, and have failed to keep them engaged. In this study, we assessed whether children and young people with homonymous visual field loss would adhere to six weeks of unsupervised compensatory training using a specialized video game. Methods: Participants aged between 7 and 25 years with homonymous visual field loss completed tabletop assessments of visual search across four site visits. Two baseline assessments separated by four weeks evaluated spontaneous improvements before training began. Participants were then given a copy of the video game to use unsupervised at home for six weeks. Two follow-up assessments separated by four weeks were then conducted to evaluate immediate and acutely maintained effects of training. Results: Fifteen candidates met the inclusion-exclusion criteria, nine participated, and eight completed the study. Participants completed an average of 5.6 hours of unsupervised training over the six weeks. Improvements on in-game metrics plateaued during week three of training. The time taken to find objects during tabletop activities improved by an average of 24%-95% CI (2%, 46%)-after training. scussion: The findings demonstrate that children and young people with homonymous visual field loss will engage with gamified compensatory training, and it can improve visual outcomes with less of a time commitment than has been required of adults participating in non-gamified training in previous studies. Appropriately powered, randomized controlled trials are required to evaluate the validity and generalizability of observed training effects. Implications for practitioners: Rehabilitation specialists can use specialist video games and gamification technique to engage children and young people with homonymous visual field loss in long-term unsupervised training schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partial and homonymous visual field loss (HVFL) is a common consequence of post-chiasmatic injury to the primary visual pathway or injury to the primary visual cortex. Different approaches to rehabilitation have been reported for older adults with HVFL and there is evidence to support the use of compensatory training over other proposed therapies. We reviewed the literature to investigate the current state of the art of rehabilitation and habilitation strategies for children and young people with HVFL, and whether there is enough evidence to support the use of these strategies in the paediatric population. We have provided an overview of the existing literature on children and young people with HVFL, a brief overview of rehabilitation strategies for adults with HVFL, and evidence on whether these different interventions have been applied with children and young people effectively. We found that there have been very few studies to investigate these strategies with children and young people, and the quality of evidence is currently low. New research is required to evaluate which strategies are effective for children and young people with HVFL and whether new strategies need to be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]