Frankie was born in May of 2006, greeted by myself, my husband and big sister Lizzy. It was not until he was about 4 months old that I started to notice his poor vision. I realized he could not track objects. A stuffed animal fell towards his face and he did not even blink. We took him to the eye doctor, and a diagnosis of ocular cutaneous albinism was given. I watched as he did not respond to any flashlights or objects. We were told he knew us by our voices, not our faces.
Frankie will turn three on May 4. There are a few reasons why I feel he would benefit from an IEP and services in the Westwood Integrated Preschool. He recently was diagnosed as being legally blind. He gets around so well in familiar places, is it sometimes easy to forget his vision impairment. He also is cognitively proficient, in things that do not require vision to learn. An example; he knows how to count to 12, sing many songs and has been potty trained since 2.7, yet he does not know his colors well, has trouble with busy puzzles and cannot always identify the food on his plate.
My first concern is the classroom setup and teaching methods. He will not be able to see a book or item that a teacher is holding up in front of the classroom. He will listen, not seeing what is going on, for just so long, then he loses interest and fidgets, gets up, etc. He will need a lot of adaptations so that he can get the most out of these types of lessons and circle time in the class. The classroom also needs to be set up the same way, so that he gets used to it, with his seat facing away from the window.
He does not see a great deal of what is happening in the classroom. If he drops something on the floor, he has a really hard time locating and finding it. Things with similar colors blend together and he has a harder time picking something out. He would not easily be able to recognize someone or something across the room. At early intervention class the other week, I told him there were bowling pins, but he could not see them across the room, and was asking where they were. I feel that a Teacher of the Visually Impaired would be beneficial to Frankie in the classroom, as well as the teachers.
He also needs extra help learning things at a close range. He has trouble pointing out animals and objects in books. For many animals, he will say it’s a sheep. He gets very close to a picture, to see it.
An orientation and mobility specialist would also benefit Frankie. He trips over toys, small obstacles or door jams in his way. In new surroundings, Frankie may trip and be hesitant to explore. He has trouble with stairs, and he can be very slow and cautious. At a familiar playground, he has trouble finding other pieces of equipment, if they are far away. On apparatus at unfamiliar playgrounds, he will sometimes stop and put his hand down, and shuffle very slowly.
My last concern is the sun sensitivity that goes along with albinism. He needs sunglasses and a hat while outside and should not be in the sun for long periods of time. Any extra shade on the playground would be beneficial to Frankie, as the sun makes it harder for him to see.
As there are special education teachers already at the Integrated Preschool, it seems like a great place for Frankie to get the services he needs. I have 2 other examples of how hard things can be for him with his vision limitations. He didn't know his EI teacher (whom he has known for 2 1/2 years) when she had a hoarse voice. He kept asking me if that was really her! He was with my parents and my mother took him to our bathroom, and he was asking her if they were in our bathroom or theirs. He could not distinguish where he was.
