1. Functional Vision Assessment
With Very Young Children
Tanni L. Anthony, Ph.D.
NTAC Meeting - Tampa, FL
April 27, 2004

2. FUNCTIONAL VISION ASSESSMENT
Assessing what HELPS visual performance
Assessing what HINDERS visual performance

3. 1.1.5.T1

4. Philosophy of Assessment
Parent input and participation are essential, as it a team approach.
It takes time to complete a FVA.
The FVA should reflect real life learning and activities.
It is key to determine the child’s learning style.
Qualitative and quantitative skills should be noted in a FVA.

5. FACT FINDING
Medical Information
Developmental Information

6. The Visual Response Continuum
Awareness →→→→Attention→→→Understanding
Lights →→→→→→ People →→→→ Objects
Fixation→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Tracking
Near→→→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Far
Peripheral →→→→→→→→→→→→Central
Familiar →→→→→→→→→→→→→ Unfamiliar
Parts →→→→→→→→→→→→→→ Wholes
Simple →→→→→→→→→→→→→ Complex
Large →→→→→→→→→→→→→ Small

7. Pieces of the FVA Puzzle
Need for Rapport /
Emotional Safety
Familiar vs. Unfamiliar Settings / Tasks
Environ-mental Control Factors
Attention to Positioning
Type of Sensory Targets
Need for Wait Time
Reading Child Response
Reviewing all Sensory Responses

8. Emotional Safety / Rapport
The infant’s first tasks are attachment and sensory regulation. These are the building blocks to effective and efficient visual skill development.
Stress will negatively impact visual performance.

9. Familiar vs. Unfamiliar
“Authentic Assessment” in the early years:
completing assessments in settings familiar to the child
with people who are familiar to the child.
with objects that are familiar to the child.

10. Environmental Control
Pay attention to:
Focal Distance / Size / Angle
Lighting
Auditory Distractions
Visual Clutter
Contrast / Color

11. Positioning Ensure the child is in a supported posture.
Hips support = trunk support = head support.
Focus should be on looking and not maintaining balance.

12. Vision is not the Only Learning Sense
FVA should not be completed in isolation of other sensory assessment.
Utilize other tools and other professionals to build a true perspective of child’s individual sensory learning profile.

13. Sensory Targets Be aware of the sensory hierarchy.
Look for preferences.

14. Sequence of Sensory Development
Touch
Vestibular
Taste
Smell
Auditory
Vision

15. Wait Time
Be patient – it may take some infants a very long time to initially respond to sensory stimuli.

16. FVA Components: First Glance
Appearance of Eyes
Presence of Nystagmus
Corrective Lenses

17. FVA Components: Visual Reflexes
Pupillary Response
Defensive Blink
Dolls Eye Response

18. Reception and Perception of Visual Stimuli
Light Perception
Light Projection
Shadow and Form Perception
Hand Motion

19. COLOR VISION
Genetic Predisposition
Eye Condition
Simple Preferences

20. MUSCLE IMBALANCE
Eso
Exo
Hyper
Hypo

21. Eye Preference
Anisometropia
Nystagmus Equity
Monocular Items

22. OCULAR MOTOR BEHAVIORS
FIXATION
CONVERGENCE
DIVERGENCE
TRACING
TRACKING
SHIFT OF GAZE
SCANNING

23. Eye Teaming Continued
Depth Perception
Figure- Ground
Perception

24. Field of Vision
Hemanopsia
Scotoma
Tunnel Vision

25. Light Sensitivity
Light-Dark Adaptation
Contrast Sensitivity

26. VISUAL ACUITY Preferred Viewing Distance Near and Distance
Force Preferential Looking
Functional Acuity

27. Reading Rate & Comprehension
Classroom materials
Reading Efficiency Kit materials.
Community materials.

28. Visual Motor Coordination
Gross Motor Tasks
Fine Motor Tasks
Handwriting Skills

29. VISUAL COGNITIVE SKILLS
Imitation
Identification
Matching, Sorting, Classifying
Sequencing

30. VISUAL PERCEPTION SKILLS
Visual Closure
Part-Whole
Pattern Recognition
Figure-Ground Discrimination
Spatial Orientation

31. The
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