Functional Vision Assessment

1. Functional Vision Assessment With Very Young Children Tanni L. Anthony, Ph.D. NTAC Meeting - Tampa, FL April 27, 2004

2. FUNCTIONAL VISION ASSESSMENT • Assessing what HELPS visual performance • Assessing what HINDERS visual performance

3. 1.1.5.T1

4. Philosophy of Assessment • Parent input and participation are essential, as it a team approach. • It takes time to complete a FVA. • The FVA should reflect real life learning and activities. • It is key to determine the child’s learning style. • Qualitative and quantitative skills should be noted in a FVA.

5. FACT FINDING • Medical Information • Developmental Information

6. The Visual Response Continuum Awareness →→→→Attention→→→Understanding Lights →→→→→→ People →→→→ Objects Fixation→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Tracking Near→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Far Peripheral →→→→→→→→→→→→Central Familiar →→→→→→→→→→→→→ Unfamiliar Parts →→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Wholes Simple →→→→→→→→→→→→→ Complex Large →→→→→→→→→→→→→ Small

7. Pieces of the FVA Puzzle

8. Emotional Safety / Rapport The infant’s first tasks are attachment and sensory regulation. These are the building blocks to effective and efficient visual skill development. Stress will negatively impact visual performance.

9. Familiar vs. Unfamiliar “Authentic Assessment” in the early years: • completing assessments in settings familiar to the child • with people who are familiar to the child. • with objects that are familiar to the child.

10. Environmental Control Pay attention to: • Focal Distance / Size / Angle • Lighting • Auditory Distractions • Visual Clutter • Contrast / Color

11. Positioning • Ensure the child is in a supported posture. • Hips support = trunk support = head support. • Focus should be on looking and not maintaining balance.

12. Vision is not the Only Learning Sense • FVA should not be completed in isolation of other sensory assessment. • Utilize other tools and other professionals to build a true perspective of child’s individual sensory learning profile.

13. Sensory Targets • Be aware of the sensory hierarchy. • Look for preferences.

14. Sequence of Sensory Development Touch Vestibular Taste Smell Auditory Vision

15. Wait Time • Be patient – it may take some infants a very long time to initially respond to sensory stimuli.

16. FVA Components: First Glance • Appearance of Eyes • Presence of Nystagmus • Corrective Lenses

17. FVA Components:Visual Reflexes • Pupillary Response • Defensive Blink • Dolls Eye Response

18. Reception and Perception of Visual Stimuli • Light Perception • Light Projection • Shadow and Form Perception • Hand Motion

19. COLOR VISION • Genetic Predisposition • Eye Condition • Simple Preferences

20. MUSCLE IMBALANCE • Eso • Exo • Hyper • Hypo

21. Eye Preference • Anisometropia • Nystagmus Equity • Monocular Items

22. FIXATION CONVERGENCE DIVERGENCE TRACING TRACKING SHIFT OF GAZE SCANNING OCULAR MOTOR BEHAVIORS

23. Eye Teaming Continued • Depth Perception • Figure- Ground Perception

24. Field of Vision • Hemanopsia • Scotoma • Tunnel Vision

25. Light Sensitivity Light-Dark Adaptation Contrast Sensitivity

26. VISUAL ACUITY • Preferred Viewing Distance • Near and Distance • Force Preferential Looking • Functional Acuity

27. Reading Rate & Comprehension • Classroom materials • Reading Efficiency Kit materials. • Community materials.

28. Visual Motor Coordination • Gross Motor Tasks • Fine Motor Tasks • Handwriting Skills

29. VISUAL COGNITIVE SKILLS • Imitation • Identification • Matching, Sorting, Classifying • Sequencing

30. VISUAL PERCEPTION SKILLS • Visual Closure • Part-Whole • Pattern Recognition • Figure-Ground Discrimination • Spatial Orientation

31. The end