VIDBE-Q Volume 64 Issue 4
57
Even very skillful parents can feel unequipped and overwhelmed
when faced with an infant whose visual development is atypical. So our
work is to help the family recognize and learn to interpret the cues the child
is giving them. Teaching parents how to read their child's cues and
behaviors can help prevent difficulties later. Parents may need to be
encouraged to use touch as a substitute for the visual cues like smiling.
For example, massage or cuddling while rocking and using a soothing
voice may be more rewarding for the child than visual techniques for
interaction he or she can't see. The critical thing is for parents and other
caregivers to bond with the child so that he or she feels safe and loved.
Interactions with family members in the first three years of life set the
course for a child's social development. Therefore, EI is especially
important as parents of newborns with VI learn to cope with their feelings
about having a child with VI. Practically speaking, working through an IMH
lens means that we look closely at how VI and disability is impacting the
feelings of acceptance, including bonding and attachment, between child
and parents/family members. It means that we take the time to assess
where the family is on the journey before we move ahead with "the next
step," because what we, as the professional, perceive as the next step may
