Little Bear Sees: How Children with Cortical Visual Impairment Can Learn to See

by Fredy Bush, Aubri Tallent, Andrei Tallent

Cortical visual impairment (CVI), the leading cause of visual impairment in children today, is caused by damage to visual centers of the brain. Unfortunately, CVI is very often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed because many doctors, therapists and educators simply do not know about it. What we want you to know, first and foremost, is that there is hope! Children with CVI can learn to see, their vision can get better! As parents of a child with CVI, we know how daunting it can be to raise a child with visual impairment. Little Bear Sees is the first book about CVI written by parents for parents. As you read Little Bear Sees, you will meet other families facing the many challenges that come with a diagnosis of CVI. You will learn exactly what CVI is, what common characteristics to look for to determine if your child has CVI and how the eyes and brain work together to facilitate vision. You will learn strategies and ideas for helping your child learn to see from the leading experts in cortical visual impairment. This book was written for parents, but it our sincere hope that it will be shared with doctors, therapists, family, friends and all those whose lives are touched by a child with CVI. Together we can raise awareness and improve the lives of children with cortical visual impairment.

156 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[Sean Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended to me by an excellent TVI (Teacher to the Visually Impaired) of our special-needs granddaughter. Vision impairment is just one of the afflictions our dear suffers from. Told by her doctors at 6 months she would never walk, she charges forward daily with an occasional stumble.

Our granddaughter has poor vision in her lower field and cannot see obstacles in her way. She is attracted to light and bright colors, yellows and reds and will often seem to ignore objects and faces.

This book, written by the parents and grandmother of another special needs boy Lukas, whom they affectionately nicknamed “Little Bear”, has put a name to our granddaughter’s condition: Cortical Vision Impairment or CVI. It is the story of Lukas with other special needs children and their case studies. While these are stories of hope and compassion, the book manages to take a complex condition and break it down in terms I could understand.

Hope is a harsh word to the uneducated but this book has given me hope through the emerging science of neuroplasticity - how the brain rewires itself to regain senses such as sight when part or all of the particular area is damaged or destroyed. In other words, with proper and frequent stimulation daily the brain will learn to see and recognize objects again! My granddaughter’s sight will improve!

The authors also list resources upon resources to aid parents through advocacy and support services available to parents.

I highly recommend for people with special needs!

[Annie Woznak · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful introduction that tells one family's journey with CVI. Got a lot of useful suggestions that we are already using. Since not all doctors are terribly helpful, we are always on the hunt for more information and more practical hands-on ideas. Since our child has some other physical issues, would have love to see how to make adaptations for kids who aren't terribly mobile.

[Dustin · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY informative book re: cortical visual impairment. It really helped me have a better understanding of what Vivian is going through and what I can do to help with her visual impairment.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous. Lots of great ideas, especially for those just learning about CVI. Would definitely recommend to others!

[Sarah Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay. I read this as a TVI, so I already have a pretty strong understanding of CVI. I loved the focus on parental advocacy because CVI is so underdiagnosed and misunderstood by doctors. I found some of the information a bit outdated (which makes sense given its 2012 publication date) and there was such a huge focus on Dr. Roman-Lantzy, which turned me off of the book a bit. That said, it did share some excellent information and is a helpful resource provided it isn't the only resource used to learn about CVI.

[Mary Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid resource for understanding cerebral/cortical visual impairment and how to help a child's brain learn how to process images. I appreciate this family sharing their story, especially since it was published when there were significantly fewer resources available online! It was a helpful resource for me because I have a child with CVI, but unlikely to be impactful on the average reader. Several parts were repetitive.

[Lea Velasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very first book ive read to help better understand my daughter with cvi. Overall, this book contains lots of guided activities and information for cvi. The experience of the Tallent family is relatable to us and this book is a must read for anyone with children diagnosed with cvi.

[Morgan Paige Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about Cortical Vision Impairment, written by a family for other families! Some information is basic, but great for people new to this diagnosis! This book is informative and motivating to help me with our son who likely has CVI!

[Kaelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good intro to CVI. It gives good information about what to look for, how to get your child tested, and how to be an advocate for you kid.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy to read book that’s a good resource for parents of children with cvi

[Janis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice explanation of CVI and what can be done for children with it. I appreciated reading the stories of the three families interviewed, as well as the experiences of the authors with their son. I wish it had a little more meat on the phases, the characteristics and how they manifest, and how to adapt for them. I do appreciate the resources and support sections. My one critique is the opening seemed to be oddly put together. Overall, I think this is a great introduction to CVI and would love to loan this to friends and family.

[Tammy Boscacci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information about this little-known visual impairment condition. A great place to start when your baby has been diagnosed with this condition.

[Cath Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice introduction but I wanted more. It was also too focused on diagnosis of infants.