Vincent was 5 months old when his parents noticed he had challenges with crossing his eyes and was not meeting milestones. After having multiple eye surgeries and getting glasses, Vincent and his family began working with Cleveland Sight Center’s Early Intervention team (EI).

The EI team at CSC helps families like Vincent’s meet milestones by providing education on various techniques and adaptations in the home that foster growth.

For many sighted kids, vision is a key part of reaching their developmental milestones and learning. For a child who cannot see very well, it’s important to have an adapted way to achieve these milestones. That’s where the early intervention staff at CSC steps in.

Initially, Vincent’s early intervention specialist, Angela, identified his preferences to help guide him visually. The first preference she identified was his favorite color, blue. After figuring this out, Vincent’s Mom, Jane, incorporated blue utensils and plates into mealtime to help him locate his utensils and he eventually learned to feed himself independently.

When Vincent had challenges navigating steps, Angela and his family put blue painters’ tape on each step of the staircase. He learned how to move up and down the steps by following the blue tape.

As he grew older, Vincent developed an interest in technology. After Jane tried to teach Vincent shapes with no success, Angela suggested she take photos of the shapes with her phone.

 By adapting to his preferences, he was able to identify shapes within a week.

“For us, learning those adaptations was almost like switching on a light switch and everything else fell into place,” Jane said. “He was then able to grow in gross motor, fine motor and speech, so it’s really been phenomenal.”

Since beginning their journey at CSC with EI services, Vincent has also participated in the Bright Futures summer sessions and the Blind Sports Clinic with Youth Challenge.

“As a parent of a child with a visual disability, we have been connected to various resources and none compare to the Sight Center. The level of support offered has been life changing. We have been given countless resources, direct advocacy, education and social activities. I credit so much of my son’s milestones, achievement and academic success to the early intervention services of CSC.”

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