May received her first sight therapy session last week. Her eyes move in a coordinated fashion, she reacts to light and seems to focus, but there are all kinds of other skills involved in sight and May does not seem to have them all. My husband and I are concerned that she can not follow with her eyes. Maybe she has no depth perception. Or, maybe she is not identifying what she sees. We really do not know what the issue is.
The session was evaluative. May basically played with some toys that lit up. At the end of the session, I asked the therapist for some activities for May. She was kind enough to personally deliver materials to us later in the week.
This comprised a massive, activities journal and recommendations for sight-impaired children produced by the government called ‘Early Support: Helping every child succeed.’ When I say massive, I’m going to estimate the first volume to be about 100 pages, double-sided.
That may sound incredibly supportive to the average person, but for a parent traversing the exercises of several therapists’ advice every week, 100 double-sided pages is not nearly specific enough to support my daughter.
If I manage, between physio, OT, play therapy, swimming, brain scans and prescription hunting to read through this volume, here are some recommended suggestions to improve May’s sight:
“Talk to your baby while cuddling them… your voice and physical contact is reassuring.”
“Do things which get your baby to smile or chuckle.”
“Let your baby finger familiar objects that they come into contact with.”
I have spoken to May’s sight therapist today and asked her to please prepare some activities for next week that are more specific to May’s needs. She is a very pleasant woman and did not seem surprised at my response to the materials. She said that these were government guidelines and that “most parents found them frustrating.”
I am trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I already feel my frustration brewing into something more like anger. What does she, or the government, think of parents such as myself if we are given materials that recommend we cuddle our babies? I am also concerned about her assessment of May’s sight, since the activities cover a multitude of skills she already, very obviously has, such as smiling.
It’s just not good enough.
What an insult to you.No wonder you are cross.I would be furious.What you need is some realistic practical advice for May and some specialised equipment that they can loan you.I am sure there such things around that would really push her.I used to be primary school teacher and my goal for every child was that they reached their full potential, whatever that was.Every child is different and what you want is for May to realise her full potential.Life must be so frustrating for you,battling all the time but I am sure it will be worth it in the end.May is very lucky to have you both as parents.Keep up the good work and keep us posted.
Incidentally, my husband doesn’t agree with me. He believes that government materials should mention everything, in case there is a chance parents of children with disabilities won’t feel confident doing something as important as cuddling their baby.
Just a thought, are you receiving something called ‘Portage’ at all? It is a weekly home-visiting service which helps with a step by step approach to learning new skills (through play). I’m new to your blog and haven’t read all your entries yet so you may have mentioned it earlier and I’ve missed it. I believe Portage is available in most areas now. Best wishes to you all – I’m thoroughly enjoying reading after the Guardian article at the weekend.