Christian was five months old when his mother, Vanessa contacted the Lighthouse of Pinellas searching for services for her child. It was a time of distress for Vanessa when she received the news from Christian’s Ophthalmologist that he had little to no vision, light perception at best. Christian was at risk for global delays due to his significant vision loss.
Christian started to receive weekly early intervention vision services through Lighthouse of Pinellas. Our goal for Christian is to be independent, reach his developmental milestone, and be at age level when he enters Kindergarten. Christian and his mother were seen weekly by a Teacher of the Visually Impaired. They also attended our biweekly Mom and Me Playgroups for 2 years with four other families in which the parents had an opportunity to talk with other parents of children who are visually impaired. The Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Orientation and Mobility Instructor and Early Interventionist worked with Christian to help him progress through normal developmental stages, explore the world around him, travel safely using a white cane, learn beginning braille skills and achieve school readiness. Christian is three and half years old now and in addition to receiving services at the Lighthouse he now also attends public school.
