Wednesday, December 1, 2010

My Own Little Cookie Monster :)

My son loves his chocolate chip cookies.  Every time I see him smile, I can't help but smile myself!  I love the fact that he does so well with holding the cookie & eating it on his own- he has come a long way :)


A child's favorite food is a fantastic motivator for working on fine motor skills.  Small crackers, cheerios, etc placed on a table in front of the child is a perfect activity, important developmental achievement, as well as a practical life skill for little ones.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

My New Double Umbrella Stroller

I just got a chance to try out the new double umbrella stroller that I got for my nearly three year old son (who has CP and CVI) and my nearly eight month old daughter.  They both loved it!  It was difficult to find one as my son is very tall for his age, cannot sit unsupported (or walk), and is very fearful of losing his balance and falling due to his CVI.  I was so pleased with the double stroller, I wrote up a complete review of it here:

Review Of The Jeep Double Umbrella Stroller

Sunday, November 28, 2010

One Of My Favorite Vision Therapy Toys

This is one of my favorite vision therapy toys for a baby.  It works well in the dark or low lighting.  The light changing is slow and the colors are vibrant without being overwhelming.  This is perfect as many CVI babies and toddlers have light sensitivity and aversion.  While they should not  be left with this toy unattended, this is a soft material and easily held in two little hands.  The lights change slowly and are soft.  When my son was a baby, he was slow to go to sleep.  I found this a perfect toy to sit with him in bed with while he played with it for a few minutes.  Remember, a few minutes here and there go a long way in potentially improving and maximizing your child's visual potential.  My son's eyes would light up when he saw this toy.  It is also a good idea to watch closely how your infant or toddler looks at this toy.  Notice if they tend to always hold it up to one eye, or in one particular area of their visual field.  This can be a tremendous help in giving you clues as to where in the visual field your child can see best.

I took a video of one of our eggs.  I will have to retake it soon as the quality is not the best and a TV was on in the room and the time of my taking the video.  However, it should give you a pretty good idea as to the look and feel of the toy.

Video of an OGGZ in Action

Friday, November 19, 2010

Do You Have Something To Share??

If so, please contact me!  I would love to post any appropriate  articles, videos, or stories you would like to share. Thank you!

Great Inexpensive Sensory Toy


These are great, inexpensive sensory toys that travel really well.  When I went on a trip to Puerto Rico with my son last year, I brought one of these large Gertie balls for him to play with in the hotel room, the pool, & the beach.  They come with a little straw that you use to easily inflate them with & they are super easy to deflate as well...  (I cannot blow up a balloon without getting a headache- this is not like that at all.  Easy, easy to inflate!)  They have a great tactile feel- the material is not slippery making it easy for little hands to hold onto.  Two great suggestions to try with the bigger, bumpy ball:

1- Fill about 1/5th of the ball with water.  It adds a cool sound dimension to it (especially great if your child is visually impaired) and creates a great herky jerky movement when rolled.

2- try putting some dry rice into the ball (you just drop them into the straw..).  Again, it add another fun sensory dimension to the toy.


These little Gerie balls are a great, fun size for little hands.  The material has a great tactile feel and is easy for little hands to grip, catch, & hold onto.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Fingerpainting Fun!!

Dylan loves fingerpainting.  Thankfully, he is still able to fit in his Bumpo!  (He still cannot sit up unsupported).  I wish they made a bigger Bumpo....




Friday, November 12, 2010

Signs Your Child May Have CVI

Do you know what CVI is?  CLICK HERE to read a short article on CVI.

WELCOME :)

Hi there,

My name is Kelly and I have a son with cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment.  I am starting this site so that I can share the (literally) hundreds of hours of research I have done on these subjects and what I have learned regarding special needs children in general.  I intend to make this a content rich site, and will be adding articles, videos, & anything else that I think will benefit someone with a special needs child in their life.  I also would like this to be a place where parents, guardians, and/or friends of special needs children can get together and share their experiences and feelings.  I strongly encourage you to share this site with anyone you know who has a special needs child in their life.

Thank You,
~Kelly