VIDBE-Q
Volume 62 Issue 2
knowledge and skills they need to help students succeed. Gurskey and Yoon (2009) did a comprehensive
analysis of 1,343 studies examining the effectiveness of PD. They found only 9 studies that met the standards
of credible evidence. Among the results in these studies were findings that workshops and summer institutes
can, in fact, be effective if they focus on research-based instructional practices, involve active learning for
participants and allow teachers to adapt what they learn to their own classroom circumstances. Gurskey and
Yoon also found that PD that involves the use of an outside expert whose presentation was research-based
and included activity-based learning in their workshops were critical features. They also found that extending
the time spent on workshop content with follow up activities and technical assistance helped make them more
effective.
The Need for Training
Brain-based visual impairment (also known as cortical visual impairment and cerebral visual
impairment / CVI) is the most common form of visual impairment in developing countries today (American
Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus /AAPOS). It is estimated that up to 70% of school-
age students in the United States have a brain-based visual impairment which will be referred to as CVI in
this article.
Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is a decreased visual response due to a neurological problem affecting
the visual part of the brain. Typically, a child with CVI has a normal eye exam or has an eye condition that
cannot account for the abnormal visual behavior. CVI is caused by damage to the visual part of the brain.
Examples of such damage include: stroke, decreased blood supply, decreased oxygenation, brain
malformation or infection, hydrocephalus, seizure, metabolic disease, head trauma and other neurologic
disorders. A diagnosis of CVI must be made by an eye doctor (ophthalmologist or pediatric neurologist).
Diagnosis of CVI really began to appear in the 1990s. Initially named "Cortical Blindness" it was thought
that the there was no potential for improvement. Today we know differently. Children with CVI benefit from
instruction to improve their visual skills and behaviors. "Instruction in visual skills can be accomplished
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