The first three years of a child's life is a time when much learning and development takes place. For a child born with a vision impairment or loss, it is important that early identification, treatment, and educational intervention begin immediately because of the child's unique learning needs. Specialized services are available to help you learn how to teach your child to explore the environment, create opportunities for learning, and stimulate your child's development.
Our primary goals are:
- To become familiar with the vision diagnosis and learning needs of your infant/toddler.
- To develop a process for gathering and sharing vision information with your family and other Early Intervention providers.
- To implement vision programming and strategies with your family that address the specific learning needs of your infant/toddler that best fit within your family's routines.
- To support your parent-infant relationship.
- To offer specific vision activities and suggestions for promoting your child's development.
- To assisst your infant/toddler to learn essential skills needed for independence.
- And to help your child develop skills to achieve his/her fullest potential.
What are the benefits of Blind PIP?
Our brain receives the most information from our sense of vision. Child developmental experts agree that the first few years of a child's life plays a major role in his/her development. When an infant is born with a visual impairment or loss, vision may not be able to act as the motivator to assist in other areas of learning. It is critical that vision early intervention services to assist the child in accessing information vital to overall development. Vision loss can impact any area of development. The early intervention vision consultant can provide specific ways of learning how to obtain and interpret information, becoming motivated in exploring the environment, and interacting with activities that must be taught to make certain a child has every opportunity to learn. The Parent Infant Program focuses on these activities that will assist in providing opportunities for the child to grow in all areas of development.
What services are provided?
Professionals with specialized training in visual impairments and infant/toddler development will work with your family as part of your Early Intervention Team. Your Early Intervention Vision Consultant can provide you with:
• Functional Vision Assessment
• Developmental Assessment
• Parent-to-parent Support
• Direct Services
• Consultation and collaboration with other Early Intervention service providers.
• Assistance in planning for transistion to preschool.
Children naturally learn to play with toys, crawl, walk, use all their senses to explore their world, and build relationships with those around them. For a child with a visual impairment these and other areas of development may be affected. Because vision plays a major role in the developmental process, the Early Intervention Vision Consultant will develop a curriculum to meet your child's unique needs.
Activities may include, but are not limited to:
• Helping your child learn to use remaining vision
• Tactile awareness
• Pre-literacy
• Orientation and Mobility
• Communication/Language
• Cognition and Play
• Independence and Self-help Skills
Who is eligible?
Eligibility is determined by the infant or toddler's vision diagnosis, degree of vision loss, and ability to use remaining vision. The child is eligible for Early Intervention Vision Services (PIP) if the vision loss or impairment impacts his/her overall development.
What are staff qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in early childhood special education, early childhood, elementary education, child/family studies, nursing or other related field.
• Endorsement to teach visually impaired children birth to three.
• Early Intervention II Credential
Who should I contact?
The Parent Infant Program can be reached by calling:
State wide: 1-800-990-9328
Ogden area: 801-629-4743
Salt Lake area: 801-464-2000
Referrals can also be made through you local Early Intervention Program or by calling Baby Watch 1-800-961-4226.
USDB - PIP Department, 742 Harrison Blvd. Ogden, UT 84404
801-629-4743
Copyright 2006. All rights reserved.