Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2025
A Method to Quantify Visual Information Processing in Children Using Eye Tracking
Published on: July 9, 2016
'We don't know nearly enough': an online survey exploring perspectives of specialists who support children with
Josephine Sabrina Jakubowski1, Eloise May2, Rebecca Findlay3,4
1Department of Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.
Insights
Specialists working with children with brain-based visual impairments share common goals but have divergent views on Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI). Improved training and transdisciplinary care models are needed for better support.
Area of Science:
- * Neuroscience and Ophthalmology
- * Pediatric Healthcare and Education
Background:
- * Children with brain-based visual impairments, including Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI), require specialized, multidisciplinary support.
- * This population is growing and currently underserved within existing vision services.
- * Understanding specialist perspectives is crucial for improving care coordination.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To explore the goals, collaboration views, and understanding of Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) among specialists serving children with brain-based visual impairments.
- * To identify challenges and potential solutions for enhancing support services.
Main Methods:
- * An online survey was administered to a diverse group of specialists (educators, rehabilitation staff, clinicians, family members) between April 2023 and April 2024.
- * The survey collected data on specialist perspectives regarding their work with children experiencing brain-based visual impairments.
Main Results:
- * Common goals included child connection and development, though specific aims sometimes conflicted.
- * Family members were valued for insights but often felt undervalued; transdisciplinary clinics emerged as a preferred care model.
- * While most professionals recognized Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) as underdiagnosed, understanding of the diagnosis varied, with limited formal training reported.
Conclusions:
- * Divergent specialist goals and varied understanding of Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI) hinder cohesive support for affected children.
- * Enhanced, interdisciplinary formal training and the adoption of transdisciplinary care models are recommended to improve service quality.
- * Addressing these challenges is vital for providing effective, child-centered care.
Introduction:
Children with brain-based visual impairments (some of whom have a diagnosis of Cerebral Visual Impairment, or 'CVI') represent a growing and underserved population within vision services. These children often have more complex needs than those with ocular visual impairments and benefit from specialist support from multiple disciplines. This study aimed to understand the perspectives of these specialists in terms of their goals, views on collaboration, and understanding of the term 'CVI'.
Methods:
We invited a range of specialists who work with children with brain-based visual impairments, including educators, rehabilitation staff, clinicians, and family members, to complete an online survey between April 2023 and April 2024.
Results:
The analysis included 94 respondents: 51 educators, 30 rehabilitation staff, 7 clinicians, and 6 family members. Respondents shared common goals of connecting with the child (87/94, 93%) and fostering their learning and development (82/94, 93%). However, respondents also noted some specific and divergent goals, which can be at odds with each other. Professional staff frequently identified family members as the most valuable source of information about their child's vision (36/88, 41%), though family members expressed feeling under-valued. Transdisciplinary clinics were highlighted as a helpful model to provide quality child-centered care. Of the 73 professional staff who reported being familiar with the term 'CVI' (73/88, 83%), most (61/73, 84%) thought it was underdiagnosed, but respondents had different perspectives on what a diagnosis meant. Only 73% of professionals familiar with CVI reported receiving formal training about it.
Discussion:
The varied goals and different perspectives on CVI create challenges to providing cohesive support for children with brain-based visual impairments. Increasing the availability of complementary formal training across disciplines and adopting transdisciplinary models of care are promising approaches to improve the quality of services.
Related Concept Videos
01:24Vision
01:26Visual System
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
01:25Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...