When our daughter turned 2.5 months old and still wasn’t fixing or tracking, we started to suspect she was having a problem with her vision. We knew her actual eyes were fine because she’d had eye examinations done immediately after birth, but since she’d had a brain bleed resulting in hydrocephalus in utero, we knew anything was possible.
While I was pregnant, a doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto had examined her MRI (done in utero) and explained that her brain could have problems processing what she was seeing. He hadn’t used the term “Cortical Visual Impairment” and it was something I brushed off—I was too overwhelmed with the news about the hydrocephalus to also process the fact that there was a chance my child wouldn’t see.
So when her fixing and tracking abilities didn’t develop, my husband and I set to work. We researched, joined Facebook groups related to CVI, watched Dr. Christine Roman’s educational videos, read books and started implementing what we learned.
Since she was not fixing or tracking, we knew she was in Phase 1 on the CVI Range. Her visual therapist confirmed this after administering a thorough assessment. At this stage in the game, the goal was to build visual behaviour. We’re still working on it.
Until now, we need her to get into the habit of intentionally looking and so we need to present her with toys and objects that will attract her attention. After experimenting with her and trying different things, we found that she responded to objects that were shiny or incorporated light, and ones that were either red or yellow.
It is common for children with CVI to see red and/or yellow first because these colours have the longest wavelengths. I find she also looks at orange and a little bit of movement seems to be helpful too.
Today, we still have to hold toys for a long time before she registers them (sometimes up to 30 seconds or even a minute for new items). She often sees her Elmo toy at around 8 seconds, but we’ve been carrying it around with us for many weeks.
We found that the following items captured our daughter’s attention but it’s important to note that every child is unique.
Rather than do “visual therapy time”, it is strongly recommended to build opportunities for your child to use their vision in their daily routine, consistently throughout the day. Think of their daily routine and ask yourself: Where they spend the most time? What do they do everyday? Get creative! Visit my post Ways to Build Visual Stimulation into the Daily Routine of Babies with CVI for ideas.
For example, my husband and I use our phones to take photos and videos of our daughter to track development. Since we often hold our phones near her, it only made sense to get shiny red phone cases that she notices! And don’t forget, an uncluttered environment is critical. Read my post Environment Matters for Kids with CVI.
1. Pinwheels
This is the first item our daughter clearly saw—and it didn’t take her too long either! The rotating wheel and shine must have caught her attention. We found it in our local Dollar Store. Once she became familiar with it, we started showing her a different pinwheel.
2. Curly gift ribbon
We had shiny red and silver gift ribbon hanging from our daughter’s car seat for weeks. It was far enough that she couldn’t reach it (for safety reasons) but once we were sure she was noticing it, we switched to a yellow one, then orange. Next will be purple.
3. Lucky cat with moving paw
Slight movement is known to attract the attention of children with CVI but sometimes it’s not ideal to ever so slightly shake a toy in your child’s view while you hold it for minutes. When we saw this in the store, we wanted to give it a try. We added some shiny red ribbon to the paw (a colour we know our daughter sees) to make it even more attention-grabbing.
4. My First Crayola Mess-Free Touch-Lights
What I love about the My First Crayola Touch Lights toy is that you can turn on and off the music, separate from the light. This feature is fantastic because when children with CVI need to practice looking, sound can be a distractor. In other words, kids with CVI may have trouble looking at something and listening to sound at the same time. There are several color options for backlighting to cycle through, including red, neon green, blue and more. My daughter started playing with hers at the age of 13 months although the toy is recommended for 24+ months.
5. Elmo and Big Bird stuffed toys
Big Bird and Elmo are some of our daughter’s favorite toys that she notices the fastest. That’s probably because they’re so saturated in colour, they’re a solid color for the most part, and we carry them everywhere with us!
6. Lamaze Glow Rattle
My daughter adores her glow rattle and she continues to play with it at 15+ months. She teethes on the yellow nubs and shakes the rattle to change the glow light to red, blue and green.
7. Party whistles or pom poms
These party whistles are so shiny and vibrant! I tape one color up at a time and turn on a fan to get the streamers waving in the wind. You can easily find these at any party store.
8. Single colored mobile for baby’s crib (how-to below!)
A CVI-friendly mobile is the perfect tool for taking advantage of all the time babies spend on their backs in the crib. Unfortunately, many of the mobiles on the market are too visually complex for people with CVI. I made this simple mobile in under 20 minutes. I’ve posted the super easy instructions here.
9. Light Up Dog Piano by Skip Hop
My daughter loves piano from Skip Hop. My husband and I wanted to get her a musical instrument that lights up so she could begin to associate the action of hitting the piano with triggering the lights and music. This one is the most simple looking children’s piano I could find. It has served us well until now.
10. Slinky
The yellow slinky is one of the items my daughter looked at the fastest and she really enjoys playing with it. This seems to be a popular one among parents who have children with CVI.
11. Shiny foil balloons with helium
Children with CVI are affected by The 10 Characteristics of CVI to some degree and the shiny foil balloons filled with helium can address many of those characteristics, including need for movement, difficulty with complexity, need for color, etc. I usually have them around the house because I can tie them to my daughter’s high chair, stroller, car seat, and even her hands or feet. She loves batting at the balloons which is great for development of the visual-reach grasp. When your child is in Phase 1, it’s important to introduce a small number of objects that they view constantly, so it’s worthwhile to purchase a small helium tank (from any party store) and have shiny foil balloons on hand in the specific color your child prefers.
12. Light Table
One of The 10 Characteristics of CVI that affect children with Cortical Visual Impairment is the “need for light.” The use of a light table is a great way to address this need. It is recommended by Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy for helping a child develop the ability to look at and reach towards an object simultaneously. When we took our daughter to Constraint-induced Movement Therapy (CIMT), we used our portable light table for many fun activities which I have documented in my day-by-day CIMT blog series. I use this light table from Amazon but they are also available at The American Printing House for the Blind.
13. View-Thru Geometric Solids
These View-Thru Geometric Solids are great for use with a light table.
14. Single-colored suction toy rattles
Our daughter’s physiotherapist at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto suggested rattles or toys that suction to surfaces like the fridge or her high chair tray. I loved the idea and found these single-colored rattles by Hape that make a soft noise when you bat at them. She enjoys playing with them and they keep her busy and engaged. I can suction them in her preferred visual fields and she can take all the time she needs to look at them since she has latency. Available on Amazon.
15. Suction bathtub toys
Bath time can be a great time to practice looking since there is usually no visual clutter due to the white bathtub. I use a bright colored sponge and I have recently stuck these single-colored jellyfish toys by Boon to the sides of the tub. My daughter has reached up to touch them without my telling her that they’re there. Available on Amazon.
16. Plush Teletubbies
My daughter received this vibrant yellow Teletubby from a friend and it immediately caught her attention. She seemed quite fascinated with it which doesn’t happen often. When squeezed, it makes little noises and since it’s just one color, I think it makes a great toy for CVI. Once she becomes very familiar with it, I will purchase the red one since that’s her other preferred color for visual accessibility. The Teletubbies also come in purple and green. They are available on Amazon.
17. Rubber bathtub toys
Not only are these great for the bathtub, but try taking one and placing it atop a light source. The toys illuminate which is perfect for getting noticed. I started by introducing the green crocodile and I’m gradually introducing the remaining colors, one by one. Similar ones are available on Amazon.com
18. Teething necklace
My daughter is a baby and I often carry her so I thought wearing a bright yellow teething necklace would be a great way to get her familiar with a new object. I always wear solid black to make things I’m holding easier for her to see and I also make sure to wear this necklace every day. The yellow necklace stands out great against my black shirt! She’s noticing it more and more every day. Now she plays with it, teethes on it and I catch her looking at it when I have her close to me. I’ve already ordered a red one so that I can switch up the colors when she’s ready.
19. Munchkin Miracle 360 Cup
What we love most about this clever cup is that the water doesn’t spill out and it comes in a variety of fluorescent colors. We have the hot pink one! Highly saturated colors are typically recommended for children with CVI.
20. LED Fingerlights
Fingerlights can be used to draw attention to toys and objects like a child’s spoon. They attach easily with the rubber band that comes with each one or with the use of velcro.
Don’t miss my post 25 Apps for Kids with Cortical Visual Impairment
cvijourney.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. All fees earned are put towards the costs of running the cvijourney.com website and domain.
Cindy has a deep interest in Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and is currently studying Early Childhood Education. She focuses most of her time on her energetic daughter: playing, cuddling and helping to make her world visually accessible. Cindy holds a degree in Marketing and has worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years.