Though designed for students with CVI, this is a great app for parents or teachers working with any student to discriminate between different images! It can also be used to create a short talking picture story. Upload images from your day at the zoo, for example, record voice narration for each picture and arrange them on the play screen in any order you wish! Then just tap the pictures in sequence to tell your story.

More information about My Talking Picture Board. Buy it on iTunes.

We’ve finally managed to get all of our Christmas shopping done for Little Bear and wanted to share some of the great items we found that we think will be perfect for kids with CVI!

Another parent shared with us this great website, where we found a number of excellent options for Lukas: www.hearthsong.com. As he continues to make progress with switch activation, we wanted to buy items that can be switch adapted and also provide great visual stimulation. Here’s what we found:

Small Lava Volcano

This battery-powered table-top volcano can be easily switch adapted with the help of a battery interrupter such as this. This seemed like a particularly good option for Lukas as it combines both motion and one of his favorite colors: red.

Jellyfish Aquarium
Little Bear has always loved the jellyfish tanks at our local aquarium, but it certainly isn’t practical to try to maintain such a tank at home. Luckily, we’ve found this fabulous mock jellyfish tank, with faux jellyfish and color-changing LED lights! This one is also battery-powered and we’re hoping he’ll love it just as much as the real thing.

Light-Up Color-Changing Slinky™
Slinkies are a classic CVI toy and this one seems to be even better than the original! With lights that change colors at the push of a button, this Slinky is great for kids that have a preference for objects that light up.

Light-Up Rattle
Finally, speaking of objects that light up, several people have mentioned this great toy to us: NogginStik Developmental Light-up Rattle. Little Bear loves to lay on the sofa and hold on to rattles, but now he’ll have one that’s more visually interesting than most!

We’re so excited to watch Lukas try all of these goodies we’ve found! We’d love to hear what other great gift ideas you have for your kids!

It’s been a busy couple of months here at Little Bear Sees, and we have some very exciting things to announce!

Our first ever Little Bear Gives CVI iPad package giveaway was a great success!  We are happy to report we received almost fifty submissions!  We were so touched by the many stories we read as we understand exactly how challenging it can be to raise a child with CVI.  We truly wish we could give iPads to everyone!  We were delighted to offer the full CVI iPad package to a lucky little girl in Illinois named Olivia.  We hope she is doing well and reaping the benefits of owning her very own iPad.

Little Bear Gives is excited to announce that our second CVI iPad package giveaway will take place in December of this year!  The package includes:

• An iPad (current generation) with a link to our website: www.littlebearsees.org
• A copy of our CVI-specific app: Tap-n-See Zoo*!
• A copy of our new book about CVI: Little Bear Sees: How Children with Cortical Visual Impairment Can Learn to See

* You must have an iTunes account in order to receive the app.

Applications from all qualified applicants from the previous giveaway have been kept on file and applicants can automatically re-qualify through our website by clicking here.  This option is only for those who already submitted an application in the previous cycle, were notified that their application qualified for our giveaway, and wish to have it entered again into this cycle.  At this time we are only considering applications for a child with cortical visual impairment and in which the family has a financial need.  The application can be filled out by anyone on behalf of the child (a parent, therapist, other family member, etc), but only one application can be submitted per child.  Only applications filled out in full will be considered.

If you would like to enter our giveaway for the first time, you can fill out our application online or print and mail it to:

Little Bear Sees
1513 Ralston Ave.
Burlingame, CA 94010

All applications must be received by December 15, 2012 and the winner will be chosen by December 30, 2012.

As we’ve mentioned before, color is hugely important for kids with CVI. Unfortunately, it is a common misconception that because black and white is good for the early visual development of typically-developing kids, it must also be good for kids with CVI. While some kids with CVI are able to respond to black and white, it is rarely as easy for them to see as objects with highly saturated color. The reason for this may be that the part of the brain that perceives color is usually not injured because it is located deep within the brain on both sides.

Many kids with CVI actually have one color that they prefer over others; one color that is easier for them to see and to which they will respond more readily. For kids in the early phases of CVI (to read more about the phases, click here), it is especially important to pay attention to which color is preferred and ensure that objects are only one or two colors. Unfortunately, many children’s toys are very busy, full of many colors and too visually complex for kids with CVI. For that reason, and with the holidays just around the corner, we wanted to suggest a few visually simple and highly colorful objects that might work as a holiday gift for a child with CVI!

As you probably know, like many children with CVI, Lukas’ first preferred color was red. To this day he still loves his Elmo! These stuffed Elmo and Clifford dolls, both on Amazon.com, are great for kids who prefer red. They are both a very bright shade of red and a decent size for keeping with your child on the go.

For kids who prefer yellow, Big Bird (click here to see it on Amazon.com) is an obvious choice and another of Lukas’ favorites. This Big Bird Hand Puppet on Amazon.com could be a great way to add movement to the object!

Though red and yellow are the most common preferred colors, some parents have found that their children prefer other colors early on, like orange, pink, blue or green. This orange aardvark on Amazon.com is not only adorable, but could be a great option for a child who prefers orange!

Pink can be tricky as many pink toys are a very pale shade of pink and, remember, saturation or brightness of color is important for kids with CVI. This bright pink cat on Amazon.com, however is perfect for kids who like pink!

When searching for toys in new colors for Little Bear, we often go to Amazon and search the Stuffed Animals and Plush section of their Toys and Games department for a specific color and then just scroll until we find something that is bright and single-colored. Give it a try and let us know if you find any other great toys for kids with CVI!

We are proud to announce Little Bear Sees Foundation’s first project: Little Bear Gives. The focus of Little Bear Gives will be to provide CVI iPad packages to families in need who have children with CVI. A family at any income level may be considered for this project. The term “family in need” applies to any family who may not be able to afford an iPad for a variety of reasons. We know that many children with CVI have complex medical or other needs that can be very expensive, making it difficult to find the money to invest in an iPad.

We believe the iPad can be an amazingly powerful tool in the life of a child with CVI. iPads are uniquely suited to the needs of those with CVI because they are backlit, easy to interact with, and there is a huge variety of apps available to suit the particular needs and preferences of each child. For these reasons, we are excited to announce that we are giving away our first iPad through our Little Bear Gives project! Our iPad package will include:

• An iPad (first generation) with a link to our website: www.littlebearsees.org
• A copy of our CVI-specific app: Tap-n-See Zoo*!
• A copy of our new book about CVI: Little Bear Sees: How Children with Cortical Visual Impairment Can Learn to See

For more information about the project, or to apply, please read all the details on our Little Bear Gives page.

We believe strongly in the power of the iPad to help those with cortical visual impairment (CVI) and we are certainly not alone! In fact, Dr. Muriel Saunders at the University of Kansas, has recently conducted research on just what an incredible tool the iPad can be in helping children with CVI. According to an article posted by the California Deaf-Blind Services, the benefits of the iPad for children with CVI include:

• brightly lit background/screen
• bright colors
• unlimited forms and pictures
• interactivity
• software that responds to the child’s actions. (I’m in control; I have an impact.)
• the ability for the child to control starting and stopping
• possibilities for children who do not have reach and grasp
• portability due to its small size
• sturdiness if in the right casing

You can find more information about Muriel Saunders and her research in the articles below:

Gloria: The iPad and Apps for Children with CVI

iPad research promising for children with cortical visual impairment

Blind Children Use iPads Successfully

We know the iPad can be expensive, which is why we have created our Little Bear Gives project to give CVI iPad packages to families in need who have a child with CVI. Applying to our project is not the only way you might qualify for a free iPad, however. In fact, our friends at WonderBaby.org have recently written an excellent article called 5 Ways to Get a Free iPad for Your Special Needs Child! If you have any other ideas or suggestions on how to get an iPad, please let us know below, or share on our Facebook page!

On many websites, blogs and forums that we frequent, this is a common topic of conversation. Once you’ve got your iPad, you’ll want to know which apps will work best for your child. This is a tough question to answer since every child is different and certain apps may work better depending on what phase your child is in. Having said that, we can at least offer some apps that have worked well for us and others to begin to guide your search. Some of the apps that our little bear enjoys the most are (in no particular order):

• Tap-n-See Zoo
• Baby Aquarium
• Draw with Stars
• Baby Finger
• Fluidity HD

Some other lists that we recommend:

Babies with iPads lists their 10 favorite apps for children with CVI.

Because many app lists are iPad based, SNEAK Outside the Box created a list of CVI-appropriate Android apps.

And finally, a website out of Australia, VI Family Network, has put together a list of apps recommended by Dr. Roman-Lantzy.

We hope this helps you get started in selecting apps for your child with CVI! Feel free to comment below to let us know which apps work best for your kids!

The conference was called CVI: Visions of Change and featured a lot of excellent information about CVI! There were also a number of tables set up to highlight different vendors. You can see a picture of our table here. Having a table gave us a great opportunity to demonstrate how our app (Tap-n-See Zoo) works, talk about our book, answer questions, and meet some great people! We were amazed and humbled by the high level interest in our new book!

In addition to the tables, there were a number of presentations by notable experts in the field. Topics included:

• The Basics of CVI
• Intervention Strategies for each of the Three Phases
• Questions for Health Care Providers
• Inspirational Talk by Jeni Stepanek (Mother of Four Children with Disabilities)
• Neuroplasticity
• CVI and Deafblindness
• Orientation and Mobility for those with CVI
• The Reliability of The CVI Range (Dr. Roman’s CVI Assessment Tool)
• Promoting Systems Change for Students with CVI
• Little Idea Log (http://littleidealog.blogspot.com/ Great ideas from another parent)
• Little Bear Sees
• Using the CVI Range

While we can’t possibly talk about everything we learned at the conference, there were a few key items we took away that we thought were worth mentioning.

What We Learned about CVI:

As we work on spreading the word about CVI, we are frequently reminded how few people really know about CVI. Even those who have heard of it often have some misconceptions about CVI that can be damaging to children with CVI because they can interfere with appropriate intervention. We were reminded of a few common misconceptions during the conference and we will discuss these below:

1. Black and white books, toys and pictures are good for kids with CVI.

This is a very common and particularly troubling one as many parents are told by well-meaning doctors and therapists to use a lot of black and white with their children with CVI. While some children with CVI may respond to black and white over time, they will have a MUCH easier time seeing color. Color is hugely important for children with CVI because color vision is usually preserved. The parts of the brain that are used to look at color are located deep in the brain on both sides, making them harder to damage. Red and yellow are very often the first colors that a child with CVI will see. Remember that the goal in CVI interventions is to provide the child with many opportunities to use the vision that she has. Unlike physical therapy, for example, the idea is not to challenge the child beyond their current abilities, but to give them frequent chances to use their vision, which will then allow it to grow and expand on its own. For many children with CVI, black and white is simply too difficult.

2. The vision of a child with CVI changes constantly.

It is easy to see why many people believe this to be true. A child with CVI may appear to look at an object with relative ease one day and yet have a difficult time looking at the same object the next. Dr. Roman-Lantzy reminds us that it is NOT the child’s vision that changes, but something else that is making it harder for the child to use his vision. Perhaps the environment has changed. If a child is easily distracted by other sensory input, he will have a much harder time looking at an object if there is a lot of background noise, for example, than if they are in a quiet room. If a child is fatigued or not feeling well, it may also be harder for that child to use her vision. This does not mean the child’s vision has changed, but that some other factor is interfering with her using her vision. This is a very important distinction to make because it places the responsibility on us instead of on the child. If your child seems to be having a harder time using his vision, ask yourself what other factor may be at play. Is there some environmental adaptation you can make to make it easier?

3. The vision of a child with CVI is like looking through a piece Swiss cheese.

This is an idea we’ve encountered on a number of websites and until recently, we didn’t realize that it wasn’t true. Instead, Dr. Roman-Lantzy describes the vision of a child with CVI as looking at a hidden object picture or a Where’s Waldo? picture. In other words, children with CVI can see everything, but may not be able to make sense of what they are seeing. The difficulty is not with seeing, but with understanding what is seen.

4. Vision can’t improve.

One of the main goals of our work has been to spread a message of hope for children with CVI. With proper knowledge and intervention, vision can improve! A talk given by neonatologist Dr. Alan Lantzy reminded us of just how amazing the human brain is. He spoke about neuroplasticity: the brain’s ability to reorganize itself. What this means for a child with CVI is that even though there may be damage to visual centers of the brain, the brain can reorganize itself so that other areas can take over visual functioning. To us, this is truly an amazing phenomenon and the reason that we have so much hope for our Little Bear!

What We Learned about Life:

One of the highlights of the conference, on a personal level, was hearing keynote speaker Jeni Stepanek. From her son’s website (www.mattieonline.com):

Jeni Stepanek, Ph.D. — award-winning speaker & NY Times Bestselling author — is a noted advocate for personal and world peace, as well as children’s & families’ needs and rights in health & education. The author of “Messenger: The Legacy of Mattie J.T. Stepanek and Heartsongs,” Jeni’s inspirational message about hope, peace, disability, hospice, grief, support, parenting, collaboration, motivation, and spirituality has been carried by all media outlets.

Like her son, the late bestselling poet & peace advocate, Mattie J.T. Stepanek, Jeni has a rare neuromuscular disease, and relies on a ventilator and wheelchair for breathing and mobility. A noted guest on Good Morning America, Oprah, Larry King and the MDA Labor Day Telethon, Mattie created poetry and essays from age 3 until he passed away in 2004 at age 13, and published 7 books that became NY Times Bestsellers. Mattie is the youngest of Jeni’s four children. All four — Katie, Stevie, Jamie, & Mattie — died during childhood due to complications of the genetic neuromuscular disease Jeni unknowingly passed on to the children before she was diagnosed.

Jeni’s message for us was simple, yet profound: every person has a purpose. No matter how much time they spend on this earth or how many challenges they face while here, all people have a purpose. The question is, how do we measure a person’s worth? Is it by the abilities they have or by the lives that they touch? Personally, we choose the latter. By this measure, our little bear has a purpose larger than we ever could have imagined … and constantly growing.

Little Bear Sees: How Children with Cortical Visual Impairment Can Learn to See is the first book about CVI written by parents, for parents.  When we first learned that Lukas had CVI, we wanted to know exactly what CVI is and what we could do to help him, but had a difficult time finding that information.  Our book answers those questions in a concise and practical way.  At the same time, we talk in depth about our story as well as the stories of three other families who generously agreed to be part of our book.  We want you to see real life examples of families who have been able to successfully encourage vision in their children and let you know that you’re not alone.

From the foreword by Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy:
“Little Bear Sees is a book that provides both information and inspiration. It walks the reader through real family journeys and real family solutions. Parents who read Little Bear Sees will find a partner in their own experiences with the medical and educational challenges. The family stories may seem familiar and comforting.”

We truly hope our book will be a great resource for you and we look forward to hearing your feedback!

• The NEW iPad (iPad 3) donated by Perkins School for the Blind
• A virtually indestructible GumDrop iPad Case
• The RadSounds switch-ready music app donated by RJ Cooper plus an RJ Cooper switch interface
• A Blue2 Bluetooth Switch for use with switch-activated apps donated by AbleNet
• Two fun switch-ready apps, Smarty Pants & Five Sharks Swimming, donated by Inclusive Technology

Little Bear LOVES his iPad and we know it will help him continue to learn and grow in immeasurable ways. If you have been interested in getting an iPad for your child with special needs, this is the perfect way to get started! Click here to enter to win!