The Visually Handicapped Child
Leonard B. Nelson MD1
1 Assistant Surgeon, Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology, Wills Eye Hospital; Associate Professor, Ophthalmology and Pediatrics, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Visually impaired children are more like "normal" youngsters than they are different. It is crucial that their individual talents and abilities be kept more in mind than their handicaps. Early diagnosis of visual impairment is important not only for medical reasons but to allow the affected child the best opportunity for normal development. Curriculum planning in school should include areas specifically related to implications of blindness. These areas include such subjects as daily-living techniques, orientation and mobility, speaking and listening, and the use of aids to tactile learning.
