Early vision and general development is vulnerable in children with visual impairment in the early years. Early intervention is critical for ensuring optimal visual and developmental progress.
The Developmental Journal for babies and young children with visual impairment (DJVI) is an early childhood intervention programme for babies and young children with severe visual impairment. It was developed by clinicians and clinical researchers from the Developmental Vision Programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health (main authors Dr Alison Salt and Dr Naomi Dale). In 2005 it was commissioned by the English central government to be disseminated as the national early intervention framework for children with visual impairment and their families.
The DJVI is a systematic framework tracking developmental and vision progress from birth to three years of age (or equivalent developmental age). It aims to:
- help parents and practitioners track and understand the child’s achievements, progress and development;
- support goal setting and guidance to promote vision and general development;
- support interdisciplinary and interagency working;
- support information sharing between parents and the practitioners they meet;
- identify areas of difficulty early where more help would be useful.
Who is this for?
The DJVI is designed to be used, in partnership with parents, by qualified clinicians and specialist professionals working in services providing support to babies and young children with visual impairment and their parents.
Licensed usage
The applicant for license requires an institutional email address. The license provides access for the named license holder to the digital version of the DJVI and its usage. (Refer to license for conditions of usage).
Parents should contact their local visual impairment services for further information about how they can access support. They can also access additional information about services for children with visual impairment at http://www.rnib.org.uk/insight-online/information-guide-parents.