techniques to improve visual tracking

[estherderu]

dear colleague,
first a few questions...
how old is the child?
does he-she get seizures in different positions? lying prone, supine, sitting up?
does bright light effect him-her?
how much do you know about his-her disorder... neurological deficit? and prognosis, mental state??
has a eye docter checked this child too?

we really need more background knowledge to give you any advice

esther
....

[physio99]

the infant is only 9 months with partial neck control and not yet rolling.he has very poor vision and lacks eye contact (poor visual tracking).he has infantile spasms to the rate of about 9 times per day.

[estherderu]

dear physio 99
...
- a child who has poor vision does not want to lie prone... you are taking the world away..
- most children find your face THE moest interesting object to play with
- when using toys, make sure they are very contrasting like black and white or yellow and black. Use toys that make a noise, rattle, squeek when moved or touched. Use toys that glisten and sparkle with light.
- TALK to the child. If the child does not see a lot, you can be his sight, tell him what he is looking at, let him feel it, with his hands, touch his cheek, lips, arms legs
- make sure he is in a nest like surrounding ( supported in flexion) - either with pillow support or on your knees- especially because he cannot do much yet... make sure the surroundings are such that "reaching" can be practiced. In this way the toy or you are in his "sight".

READ a lot of information about normal development.... normal reaching, normal sight.

A lot of therapists and parents make the mistake of not giving the child enough time te react.... especially children with a low tone ( or mental disorder ) need more time, more stimulation to react. Give them that time. Watch closely and try to understand what the child is telling you. React only if you are sure the child needs a little help to do what he wants to do- example "grasp the object with his eyes and hands".

nb, a child can be over excited (triggered) by light... so watch carefully when using light toys if this doesn´t activate an neurological spasm (insult?)

hope this helps you a little
kind regards
esther

[estherderu]

Sorry sorry,
I forgot to mention massage. I think that teaching the parents to massage their child, teaching them to speak and explain everything they are doing ( in other words giving a lot of sensory and passive motor imput ) is also essential.
When a child understands what is coming he-she is open to these new experiences and will learn from them if is is at all possible.

regards
esther