Children are different and their reactions to external input from the environment may vary.
It is important to help the child to see him/herself as an individual and then assist him/her to be as independent as they can be.
Help others to see that the child is just like any other sighted child and should be seen and treated as such.
Be patient with the child because they may take a bit longer to learn something new.
Like with any other child, it is very important to praise good behavior in order to build up the child’s self esteem and at the same time punish negative behaviour.
Always encourage the child to use his/her remaining vision if they are partially sighted.
REMEMER that the child has the same needs as any other sighted child, but requires special training and stimulation to develop normally like other children.
Children who can see usually imitate movements and this is how they learn to do things. The visually impaired child or a child that is completely blind has to be trained to do these things using hands-on-hands method.
These children require assistance to explore and learn about the world around them by using their other senses like taste, smell, touch and listening skills.
It is important that these children be spoken to a lot. They have to be told what is going on around them and what the stimuli are that are coming in from their environment. It is therefore vital that one talks to them all the time. TALK, TALK, TALK!!!!!!!
Always encourage the child to listen and make them aware of the sounds that they hear at home and the sounds from the environment. This is because most of the information is taken in by listening to what is going on around them. At the same time one has to explain what it is that they are hearing.
Let us do your running around while you get on with your important business.