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The aim of the current study was to investigate the influence of stress inoculation training (SIT) on the general health of mothers of children with visual impairments. The study population included the mothers of children with visual impairments aged 33–45 years during 2018–2019 academic year in Isfahan city. The participants were 34 mothers selected by convenient sampling method from Shahid Samani and Shahid Abedi schools. They were randomly divided into experimental (n = 17) and control (n = 17) groups. The experimental group received SIT in 10 sessions, while the control group did not. The instrument of study was General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg and Hiller, 1979). Data were analysed by using MANCOVA. The results indicated that the SIT had a significant effect on post-test scores of general health (P < 0.0001) in subjects. Based on these findings, SIT plays a critical role in the general health of the mothers of children with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to investigate parents' profile, both at personal and familial levels, who live with and raise children with blindness or visual impairment. Twenty families participated in this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, while its analysis was based on qualitative methods focusing on terms of tracing categories and subcategories. The findings highlighted that the great number of parents' responsibilities had a negative impact on their emotional state. This outcome may be reasonably attributed either to lack of effective management of their negative emotions or to recorded difficulties in obtaining all substantial information regarding their child's life prospective well as in devoting too much effort to keep a balance in their family environment. In addition, parents underscored the vital role that professionals, friends, and unions play in their family cohesion and wellbeing. In conclusion, the results can add to the content of existing or future family support programs enriching them with even more constructive theoretical background from the field of counseling and inclusive practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of challenging behavior via functional analysis (FA) and subsequent treatment including functional communication training (FCT) is a common approach to treating severe problem behavior for individuals with autism and intellectual disability. Assessment and treatment for these behaviors exhibited by individuals who have a co‐occurring diagnosis of visual impairment and autism spectrum disorder present unique challenges to this approach. The current study included an 8‐year‐old White, visually impaired male on the autism spectrum who engaged in self injurious behavior (SIB). Based on the results of the FA, conducted in his classroom, the researchers began FCT to address the multiple maintaining functions of SIB. Results suggest that adaptations to FCT may be necessary for visually impaired individuals on the autism spectrum to make the communication response more salient to the individual and establish independent communication responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity (PA) can provide multiple benefits for children with visual impairments (VI). To date, little research has explored the retention effects of PA interventions for children with VI. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore the PA experiences of parents of children with VI three months after completing a PA intervention. This descriptive-qualitative study was situated in the Theory of Planned Behavior. Five parents completed semi-structured interviews that were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic line-by-line analysis. Four themes characterizing how parents created PA opportunities for their children with VI were constructed: (a) Teaching from Awareness (b) Advocating for Needs, (c) Engaging Family through Community, and (d) Seeking More PA Opportunities. Parent's awareness of their child's abilities, parents' advocacy, and parents' teaching skills all helped to expose their children to new types of PA in the community. Parents reflected about a lack of consistently offered community-based PA for their children. Researchers must consider the importance of educating parents on how to teach skills, increase awareness, and advocate for more community-based PA programs. Three months after a physical activity intervention for children with visual impairments, parents' awareness of their child's abilities, advocacy, and competence teaching motor skills helped to expose their children to new types of physical activities in the community and at home. The lack of consistently offered community-based physical activities for children with visual impairments calls for rehabilitation professionals to create or promote existing physical activity programs for children with visual impairments. Rehabilitation professionals should explore how physical activity programs can address barriers faced by participants (e.g., lack of knowledge, lack of physical activity equipment), and offer a continuum of activities and programming for these families in the home and community setting. Rehabilitation professionals should educate parents on the importance of physical activity, how to teach motor skills, and advocate for more community-based physical activity programs for their children with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vision plays an important role in walking development. Understanding gait characteristics and development in infants and children with visual disorders is crucial to identify early walking impairment and promoting optimal motor performance. We aimed to identify typical gait patterns and differences between infants and children with visual disorders and their sighted peers, and how these change over time, identifying key research gaps in this area. Methods: A search of three databases identified 1,531 papers, of which eight met inclusion criteria. Results: Children who are blind showed differences in gait compared to peers with low vision or full sight. Differences were identified across age groups with slower walking, postural, head, and trunk position alterations and uncoordinated and reduced upper limb swing motions observed in children with blindness. Discussion: We identified three macro areas of interest related to gait characteristics in children with visual disorders: (1) and (2) compensation mechanisms of limbs, and (3) probing the environment. In general, children who are blind also showed the use of a wider base of support, more external rotation of the feet, and fewer steps taken per minute. There are no studies reporting gait characteristics in the early stages of walking development, scarcity of longitudinal investigations, and studies using different variables to measure gait. The lack of such evidence prevented the establishment of gait development trajectories over time in pediatric populations with visual disorders. Implications for Practitioners: This review is the first to summarize existing knowledge of gait characteristics in children with visual disorders, advancing our understanding regarding the key differences in gait patterns that are observed in this population. Information gathered in this work can help inform future studies and practitioners in this field, enhancing decision-making processes to support walking development and promoting increasing knowledge of gait progresses in infants and children with visual disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian children with visual impairment (VI) are underrepresented in studies exploring engagement in physical activities. Existing research documents that children with VI do not meet recommendations for physical activity guidelines which negatively impacts their physical and mental health. To improve participation, information is needed on what physical activities children with VI participate in and why. The objective of this study was to explore what physical activities children with VI participate in and why how they first got involved in them. A larger study was designed to explore multiple aspects of physical activity participation. This article presents findings relevant to what activities Western Australian children with VI participate in and factors which initiated participation. Findings were collected through a survey returned by 38 families and interviews with 22 families including parents and children with VI. School physical education, swimming, play equipment, and walking were the activities with the highest number of participants. Parent factors which motivated participation were having strong values/beliefs which supported engagement, modelling participation in activities, and seeking specific benefits/outcomes. Child factors which motivated participation included impact of their VI and the child's choice/interest. External factors included advertisements and accessibility of information. Many Australian children with VI and their parents are motivated to engage in physical activities, with initial participation commonly catalysed by external factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of our qualitative study was to explore what distance-based teaching and learning practices have been supportive to students with visual impairments and their families. Using purposive sampling, interviews, and qualitative analysis, we found that supportive approaches for distance learning (DL) included parental involvement and participation, as well as tailored instructional approaches and accommodations for the student. In some instances, DL was identified as being more supportive for immune-compromised children. Negative facets of the practice included diminished richness in socializing, and the lack of certain strengths of in-person education. Families' experiences ranged from finding DL helpful, to considering the practice as unfit for their child's education, as well as a poor fit for family life. Flags for future research include family preparation for future DL needs, including culturally-diverse families in research opportunities, and evaluating what DL supports lead to improved outcomes for children and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that children and adolescents with visual impairment may face several challenges in their academic learning and socio-emotional development due to restricted mobility, feelings of loneliness, and dependency on others. Habilitation services attempt to provide support with respect to many of these challenges that may positively impact on well-being and mental health, such as enabling independence in daily tasks, participation in social activities, and developing self-confidence. The literature also shows that individuals who have received educational and vocational rehabilitation support report higher quality of life and more positive self-esteem. Therefore, the primary focus of this study was on the rehabilitation, recreational opportunities, and educational resources provided by vision habilitation services for children and adolescents with visual impairments. The role that these services may play in school and daily life, as well as in the socio-emotional development of children and adolescents with visual impairments was also examined. This research covers the perspectives of professional staff, parents, children, and adolescents and considers both the immediate and potential long-term benefits of these services. The findings of the study highlighted the positive impact that this support has on children and adolescents' independence, personal-safety, and self-confidence. The findings also indicated the positive impact of this support on the mental health of their families and benefits of providing continued support and expanding these habilitation and recreation services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Postural stability is monitored by a circuitous system, particularly visual perception, vestibular apparatus, and somatosensory organs. The ability to maintain balance is significantly compromised in children with visual impairment and has higher risks of falls than the normal sighted children. Children with visual disability reported delayed motor dexterity such as eye-hand coordination, gross and fine motor control involving struggle in gait procurement and postural control. Vestibular rehabilitation is the relevant therapy to restitute for maintaining postural control in the absence of visual information. This study aimed to find the effect of vestibular rehabilitation on postural stability in children with visual impairment. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was done in pre and post-test type design on 30 boys in the age group of 7-16 years' children with visual impairment. Vestibular rehabilitation therapy was used as the exercise protocol to improve functional balance and reduction of falls in children with visual impairment for six weeks. Results: Statistical analysis was done between pre-test and post-test readings with SPSS 20 and there is a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test of total score and individual scores of Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS) after the intervention, since (p<0.05). Conclusion: Vestibular rehabilitation therapy improved the capability of postural controlling and reduces the risk of falls to an extent in children with visual impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic fluency is potentially a useful tool for vocabulary assessment in children with vision impairment because it contains no visual test stimuli. It is not known whether in the primary school years children with vision impairment perform more poorly on semantic fluency tasks compared to their sighted peers. We compared semantic fluency performance of two groups of 5- to 11-year-old British English speaking children—one group with vision impairment and one without. We also investigated within-group differences in performance, based on severity of vision impairment. We administered one category (animals) to children with vision impairment (n = 45) and sighted children (n = 30). Participants had one minute to respond. Responses were coded for accuracy, error type, clusters, and switches. Correct responses increased with age within each group. Groups did not differ significantly on any outcome measure. Severity of vision impairment did not impact task performance. Results suggested that semantic fluency performance—at least for the category animals—is not different in children with vision impairment compared to sighted children. Findings also suggest that semantic fluency could be a suitable addition to the tools that speech-language pathologists use to assess language abilities in children with vision impairment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skateboarding is a sport and a means of transportation that requires balance and stability. A child's ability to perform a variety of motor skills is tied to their balance and stability proficiency. Children who are visually impaired may experience delays in balance and stability resulting in lower levels of physical activity than sighted peers. The purpose of this article is trifold: (1) to provide pertinent information on the development of balance for children with visual impairments, (2) to offer appropriate lead-up activities with modifications, and (3) to introduce basic skateboarding modifications for children with visual impairments. Through increased balance and stability children with visual impairments may become stronger and more stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the research and development that underpins the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI): a new unifying framework that outlines the breadth of support that should be received by children and young people with vision impairment (CYPVI) in the United Kingdom (UK). The study used the Delphi method as a systematic process of participatory consultation with key stakeholders. Three rounds of consultation took place with a panel of 48 participants including young people, parents, professionals, and professional training providers. This process resulted in the agreed 11 curriculum areas of the CFVI with high levels of agreement and satisfaction among participants. The development of the CFVI responds to established evidence of the distinctive challenges to learning associated with childhood vision impairment, and the importance of addressing these through targeted intervention approaches. Drawing on a dual model of access ('access to learning' and 'learning to access'), the framework acknowledges that these approaches should promote inclusive education by balancing universal inclusive practice with specialist skills-based interventions. Such an approach captures 'what matters' to the field of vision impairment education – ensuring fair access to a shared curriculum and education system while developing the specialist skills to develop personal agency and increase independence. The article is original in reporting on the development of the first curriculum framework for CYPVI in the UK. The CFVI was launched in March 2022 and provides clarity about what should be taught, when, and by whom. The CFVI promises a transformative contribution to UK policies and practice in ensuring CYPVI and their families will more easily be able to navigate complex education systems and secure equitable access to the services to which they are entitled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education strives to support all students, regardless of their differences, so no child is left behind. However, some teachers, especially those in high schools, may oppose inclusive education. This study aimed to examine the experiences and actions of high school mathematics teachers as they taught students with visual impairments to understand the challenges they faced and how these affected their willingness to embrace the inclusion of these students. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with eight mathematics teachers experienced in teaching students with visual impairments. The findings were organized into five themes: mathematics teaching practices, curriculum, material preparation, assessment practices, and beliefs about inclusive education and students with visual impairments. The results revealed that while mathematics teachers were conscious of not being adequately equipped to implement inclusive education, those with strong teaching efficacy beliefs were more inclined to teach rigorous mathematics to students with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of childhood vision impairment has cascading effects on educational provision and global development across cognitive, physical, and mental health domains. Effective, appropriate, and targeted support in education is legislated across the United Kingdom, influenced by the 'access to learning, learning to access' model. Despite reasonable adjustment and specialist provision legislature, anecdotal parental reports suggest inconsistent and insufficient provision culminating in poor physical and mental health outcomes for school-aged children and young people with vision impairment in the United Kingdom. This pilot study aimed to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of provisional arrangement/specialist support from a parental viewpoint. We examined the questionnaire responses of parents/caregivers of children and young people with vision impairment to harness their views regarding provisional entitlement. An online questionnaire was developed in collaboration with parents/caregivers of children with vision impairment who identified a distinct need for research in this field. Forty-six parents/caregivers completed the questionnaire. Most parents reported their child accessing specialised provision; however, frequency of provision and qualification of staff administering provision was inconsistent. Parents reported that available provision more negatively impacted their child's mental health, and resultingly, most parents lacked confidence in the arrangements their child received. We concluded that parental perception of provisional arrangements is seemingly influenced by the quality of the team supporting their child in educational domains. Future work triangulating parental views with that of the children receiving the support, and support staff, is needed for corroboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The present study aims to evaluate oral health knowledge and habits of children with visual impairment by comparison with their sighted counterparts and also evaluates parental knowledge and involvement in children's oral hygiene routines. Methods: This observational and transversal study included the participation of 68 children (34 were visually impaired and 34 were sighted), from seven schools from Lisbon. The participants with visual impairment were age and gender-matched with their sighted counterparts to minimize variations in the analysis. In all, 52.9% of children were male, with average age of 11.15 (±3.413) years [6; 18]. The children and parents completed one survey each. Children were submitted to an oral examination to evaluate oral health. Results: Participants with visual impairment showed a non-significant increase in the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (dmft), gingival, and oral hygiene indexes. Both groups' gingival state was mostly classified as excellent, and oral hygiene was mainly classified as excellent/good. More children with visual impairment (85.7%) needed help with teeth brushing (p =.046) and were more likely to miss dentist check-ups more often (p =.025). Also, sighted children and their parents demonstrated more knowledge about oral health. Conclusion: Children with visual impairment and their parents showed less favorable results, justifying the need to promote oral health education to this demographic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After lockdowns and school closings associated with COVID-19 began throughout the United States and Canada in March 2020, this research was completed to explore how the pandemic affected access to orientation and mobility (O&M) services. Using qualititave responses from a mixed methodology study, this article reports the findings from 318 individuals, including both O&M specialists and dually certified teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and O&M specialists. Four major themes emerged through data analysis, including (1) prioritization of O&M goals for students with visual impairments, (2) personal factors affecting access to O&M training, (3) access to O&M services through virtual learning, and (4) creative approaches to O&M instruction during the pandemic. Within these themes, professionals, students, and families alike were asked to assume roles that went beyond traditional expectations. Questions and concerns that professionals in the field need to consider when looking at the future of O&M services were raised as part of this research, including a number of ideas for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children with visual impairment (VI) tend to maintain the insufficient physical activity (PA) engagement and excessive sedentary behavior (SB) that could elevate health risks of various domains. Anxiety have been shown to correlate with PA and SB in general population, whereas the longitudinal or temporal relationships between PA, SB, and anxiety have yet to be examined in children with VI. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to investigate the bidirectional relationships between these variables over time. Methods: 72 Chinese children with VI (mean age = 14.65 ± 3.34 years) recruited from a special school for individuals with VI participated in this study. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and SB were assessed using ActiGraph GT3x + accelerometers across seven consecutive days. Anxiety was assessed by a self-reported questionnaire. Cross-lagged panel models were employed to examine the potential bidirectional relationships between PA, SB, and anxiety at baseline (T1) and 12-week follow-up (T2). Results: T1 anxiety significantly predicted T2 MVPA only in children with low vision (β= -0.30, p = 0.01). In additional, children with blindness showed a cross-lagged effect of T1 MVPA on T2 anxiety (β=-0.29, p = 0.02). Lastly, anxiety significantly predicted T2 SB in the total sample (β = 0.21, p = 0.04) and children with low vision (β = 0.42, p < 0.01). Conclusion: The relationships between PA, SB and anxiety were not bidirectional in children with VI. It is suggested that higher anxiety predicted less PA and more SB in children with low vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In past comparative studies, children with vision impairment were often shown a developmental delay compared to sighted children in several developmental domains. Medical treatments of vision impairments and societal attitudes toward disabilities changed considerably. Besides, within the rehabilitation practices, a stronger integration of multiple perspectives and increased focus on social inclusion and participation in society is present. The main goal of this scoping review was to investigate what is known about the development in cognition, language and communication, motor, social–emotional, and adaptive skills development of children with vision impairment by longitudinal studies. Besides, the results of the past studies were related to a contemporary view on disability, the participation concept. This was done by applying the family of participation-related constructs (fPRC) framework to examine which factors were covered and which not. A systematic literature search was performed in Web of Science, PsycInfo, ERIC, and Medline. Studies were included if they have been published in peer-reviewed journals between 1994 and 2020 had a longitudinal design and examined the development of children with vision impairment with no additional impairments up to 18 years of age. From the 2698 identified studies, 32 studies were included. The most commonly assessed variables concerned cognition and language and communication development. To a lesser extent, studies examined adaptive skills, motor, and social–emotional development. The majority used vision status as a predictor variable for developmental outcomes. In terms of the fPRC framework, most studies included variables related to the factor activity competences. The factors preferences, sense of self, environment, and involvement were studied far less often. The review suggested a positive impact on developmental outcomes for including variables that can mediate the relation between vision status and developmental outcomes and variables that are related to the fPRC factors environment, sense of self, and preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and causes of visual impairment (VI) among primary school children in the Biadan and Kato circuits in the Berekum Municipality, Bono Region, Ghana. A cross-sectional and a two-stage random sampling technique was employed to recruit 299 study participants. Visual acuity, retinoscopy, examination of the anterior segment, media and fundus were conducted on each participant. A modified refractive error survey in children (RESC) protocol was used in collecting data. A presenting visual acuity of ≤ 6/12 in the better eye was diagnosed as having VI with a cause. Prevalence was estimated, and binary logistic regression was used to determine the strength of the association between visual impairment and independent variables at a 95 % confidence interval. Two hundred and ninety-five (295) children with a mean age of 10.08 ± 2.18 years were able to go through all examinations. The prevalence of VI was 8.14 %. Twenty-four children were visually impaired, of whom 17 (70.83 %) were females and 7 (29.17 %) were males. Refractive error was the cause in 67 % of visually impaired children, cataracts in 8 %, and amblyopia in 4 %. Age was found to be associated with VI (OR=0.77; 95 % CI:0.63-0.95), while gender showed no association. Uncorrected refractive error is a common cause of VI among school children in the Biadan and Kato circuits. Age was negatively associated with visual impairment, suggesting the vulnerability of younger school children. Early detection and provision of affordable eye health services may help curb preventable VI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cerebral visual impairment is a high incidence visual issue with a prevalence rate of 3.4% of children in mainstream education (Williams et al., 2021). However, it is still a very unknown condition with very little awareness in the general public (Ravenscroft et al., 2021). The aim of this research was to better understand how CVI related visual issues impact children in the mainstream classroom. Ten parents and eleven classroom teachers of eleven children with CVI related visual issues participated in the research, which used interviews and focus groups to develop a better understanding of the children and to ascertain the effectiveness of a range of strategies that were implemented to support the children throughout the research period. This was shorter than planned due to the COVID pandemic and school lockdowns. The research found that 82% of the children had learning support needs, 100% had emotional support needs, and 91% experienced challenges with social interactions. The CVI education sessions, decluttering, mindfulness, gratitude and calm breaks all helped the children, however the research period was not long enough to assess the overall effectiveness of the strategies and further research is needed in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to examine the relationship between sensory processing skills and feeding behavior in cerebral palsy (CP) children aged 3–6 years with cerebral visual impairment (CVI). A total of ninety mothers participated in the study in three groups: thirty mothers of children with CP with CVI, thirty mothers of children with CP without CVI, and thirty mothers of children with typical development (TD). The sensory processing skill of the children was evaluated with the Sensory Profile (SP), and feeding behavior was evaluated with the the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS). In the triple comparison, a significant difference was found between the groups in all SP parameter and BPFAS scores (p < 0.001). Post hoc analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the groups in all parameters (p < 0.001). Feeding problems were detected in 65% of all groups. In the correlation analysis, a significant relationship was found between all parameters of the SP and the BPFAS (p < 0.05). In terms of sensory processing skills and feeding status, it was determined that children with CVI with CP had more problems than children with CP without CVI, and children with CP without CVI had more problems than children with TD. With these results, it was concluded that sensory processing problems affect feeding status, and visual impairment causes both sensory problems and feeding problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine reactivity to accelerometer measurement in children with visual impairments (VI), their sighted siblings, and their parents. A sample of 66 participants (including 22 children with VI, 22 siblings, and 22 parents) completed a demographic survey and wore triaxial accelerometers for at least 4 consecutive days for 8 hr. An analysis of covariances with repeated measures was conducted, controlling for participant gender. Children with VI had 8.1% less moderate to vigorous physical activity time on Day 1 than Days 2–4 average. Their sighted siblings and parents had 7.8% and 7.1% more moderate to vigorous physical activity time on Day 1 than their Days 2–4 average, respectively. The reactivity percentage for parents and children without VI is consistent with existing literature. However, an inverse reactivity for children with VI was found, which is a unique contribution to the literature and will have implications for researchers using accelerometers for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]