10 CVI Characteristics
Color Preference
The preference for or ability to only see a specific color
Usually a color that has been present in a child's life (what color their favorite toy/object is)
Common colors for color preference are red and yellow
Preferred color becomes a visual anchor for highlighting information and selecting educational materials
The object should be the preferred color, not the background when presenting materials
Need for Movement
Visual attention is drawn to items that move
Some may not be able to see something until it moves
Drawn to objects that have the appearance of movement (mylar, shiny objects)
Some individuals move their bodies to create the movement needed to see
Visual Latency
A delay between an object's presentation and when it is looked at
May increase when ill, stressed, or tired
Warm-up activities can help decrease latency
Provide verbal information prior to presenting an item and keep silent while waiting for visual attention
Visual field preferences
Most often have a preference for a peripheral field (to the side)
Most have a lower visual field loss that affects safe travel
Difficulties with visual complexity (4 different areas)
Complexity of patterns on the surface of objects
May only look at objects of a single color at first
Then moving on to 2 colored objects with one of the colors being their preferred color
Chosen objects can gradually increase in complexity with more colors and patterns
Complexity of visual array
May only be able to visually focus on one item at a time
Difficulty with clutter
Have a single color-black or white background is helpful
Complexity of human faces
May not be able to look into faces or only familiar faces when they're not talking
May appear to look through someone rather than at
Complexity of sensory environment
Some may only be able to attend to one sense at a time (vision, hearing, tactual)
Lowering background noise is always helpful
Need for light
Prolonged periods of gazing at natural or artificial light
Uses a visually neutral "time out" to rest or use another sense (hearing, touch)
Light can be used to draw and keep attention (light box, ipad)
Difficulty with distance viewing
Seems to be nearsighted
Linked to complexity of array- the closer an object is, the more the background is covered
Atypical visual reflexes
Absence or delayed blink reflex when touched on the bridge of the nose
Absence or delayed blink to a visual threat coming toward the eyes at midline
There is no intervention for this characteristics, it is an indicator of overall visual ability
Difficulty with visual novelty
Prefer to view objects that are familiar
New objects need to be taught and should have similar characteristics to familiar objects
Absence of visually guided reach
May look at an object, then look away while reaching
May be able to look and reach with single color object and high contrast, but then not be able to do a visually guided reach with a more complex item on a more complex background