The Interesting Situation of CVI Range Progress in a Young Adult

I never cease to be surprised by the ways in which functional vision operates in individuals who have CVI. Early on, everything I read and experienced told me that the best chance of seeing improvements in functional vision would be limited to the youngest of children. The golden rule in the 1990s was that the first 3 years of life were the time of greatest visual plasticity and the best, maybe only option for the brain to develop, organize, or rewire vision. But as my approach became more organized and as The CVI Range became my reliable method for assessment and support, I began to wonder about…

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Moving Day

This week I saw my final Pediatric VIEW families as a member of the Allegheny Health Network. Tomorrow my materials will be delivered to The Children's Home and Lemieux Family Center (5324 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15224, 412-441-4884). I am honored to have this opportunity to not only continue Pediatric VIEW but to grow it in new directions. The Children's Home Administrators are welcoming me with open arms and a degree of enthusiasm generally only seen in a teenagers on a first date. I am excited and beyond all else, grateful. The last act of packing at my West Penn office was to disassemble the collage of…

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Changes in Pediatric VIEW Program

In the words of singer Mary Chapin Carpenter, "change comes of its own free will". And change has come to Pediatric VIEW. On May 20 I was informed that my hospital system was "sunsetting" my program. It took me a moment to associate such a lovely image with such a disappointing turn of events. Pediatric VIEW began in 1999 as an outgrowth of the hospital NICU developmental follow up programs. Pediatric VIEW was established to meet an unmet gap in addressing the needs of children who have complex needs including conditions that can be associated with visual impairment. This tiny little program eventually blossomed by word of…

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Cortical or Cerebral?

There is much discussion about these two terms. Some believe that the term cortical refers to a historic affiliation with a condition described by Dr. James Jan & his associates. That is true. Some believe that the term cortical visual impairment has been replaced by a term called cerebral visual impairment and that the diagnoses are essentially interchangeable. That is not true. According to Dutton and others, cerebral and cortical visual impairment are terms used to describe different constructs but share an important element. Both cerebral and cortical visual impairment are used to describe brain-based visual processing disorders. But, simply put, cerebral visual impairment is a term…

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Appointments during the COVID-19 Pandemic

I hope everyone is staying safe and well. To those who have been personally touched by the COVID-19 pandemic, I send my deepest concerns and sincere wishes for recovery. Appointments at Pediatric VIEW are slowly resuming and there is a cautious sense of optimism about returning to some sense of normalcy. Thank you for your patience and for the opportunity to meet with many of you via Zoom.

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While you are home…

I am writing this blog post during a time in which we are all self quarantined. It's a strange and unsettling time. If you are spending more time indoors than you expected, and you are a family member of a child with CVI, you may be toward the bottom of your "fun things to do" list. My own children had a phrase they used on long rainy days indoors. "Mom, what can we do or eat?". To that end, I am offering a few ideas of things you may be able to do with your children. Phase I Put a few drops of food coloring in a…

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Reflections on 2018

It's almost 2019.  What a year this has been.  There have been so many things to reflect upon both personal and professional.  I am going to indulge myself a bit. The year started with the usual suspects.  Promises to get fit (ish), to find more quiet time to knit, or walk in the woods, or watch the birds (yes, I am a nerd).  But the little spiral book that is my calendar preempted many of those plans.  I'm not sorry-I love my work...every bit of it.  But, I do wonder about my inability to quiet my thoughts and to follow those occasional instincts for calm.  Nevermind that,…

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The AER Resolution

In July 2018, AER passed Resolution 2018-001.  This Resolution included content that potentially limited the use of The CVI Range as an assessment of functional vision in students who have CVI.  The following is my response to the Resolution.  My statement provides an explanation of my point of view regarding AER's Resolution 2018-001.  The Resolution was removed from AER's website in September, 2018.       August 24, 2018 To whom it May Concern, I am enclosing my comments to your Resolution (AER-2018-00).  Many of the statements in your document are misleading, incomplete, or inaccurate.  I find the purpose of your Resolution very much in question as…

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Is improving vision enough for a child with CVI?

No.  Of course not.  Please don't get me wrong, improving functional vision is really quite important.  I talk about it all the time.  I think it is critical.  In fact, every provider who works with children who have CVI should have an expectation of improving vision.  Not a wish or a hope or a notion, but an expectation of improving functional vision. For a number of years, I described improving vision into high Phase III as the endpoint.  I would emphasize the need for CVI Range scores to continually improve until every child with CVI ultimately attains Phase III CVI status.  A lofty goal, yes, but one that I believed…

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Where is the best place in the country or world for my child with CVI to get an education? What are the attributes of a successful team?

I get the question all the time, "Is there some place I should live so my child can get a teacher who knows CVI?".  Well, that is a difficult question.  It is obvious that most of the intense training based on The CVI Range has hovered around the east coast.  But there is no guarantee that moving to Connecticut or Massachusetts will result in your child being properly educated. None the less, parents certainly try this tactic.  It is not uncommon for families to maintain two addresses or uproot completely in pursuit of the teacher who embraces their child's complex needs and actually knows how to teach…

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