Infographic: Meals for blind or partially sighted children

[sakib60]

Learning to eat alone is a challenge for any child, but even more so for children with visual impairments. For blind or partially sighted children, gaining independence at the table requires, as in many other areas of daily life, real learning* that begins at a very young age.

Getting familiar with food
Gradual familiarization with food primarily concerns parents, attentive mediators mom data in the face of a very rich sensory bath: smells, shapes, on the fingers, in the mouth, under the teeth, tastes... Taming sensations, giving meaning to the unknown, but also learning to chew, while maintaining posture... So many other things that are not self-evident for the blind child. Subsequently, he will have to acquire specific gestures and techniques, which will allow him to eat alone and gradually do without the help of the adult throughout the meal time.

>> Also read: “Oral eating disorders: 10 tips from an occupational therapist!”

And in the community?
If parents are the first actors in food discovery and educational guidance, from the moment the child enters the community and throughout his or her time in a specialized or non-specialized establishment, many adults will be required to accompany these meal times. This poster aims to raise awareness among adults who work in the canteen, in communities that welcome blind or partially sighted children.

The attitude of the adult, but also the layout of the space, the attention paid to the child's seating in his chair, the choice of his dishes, the way of guiding him in his movements, are all elements which can facilitate the autonomy of the child with a visual impairment, and thus contribute to his well-being, his socialization and his development.

* Learning about daily life autonomy is the subject of specific teaching provided by the AVJ (Daily Life Autonomy) instructor, professionals specializing in visual impairment. The locomotion instructor deals with the autonomy of travel. These are 2 specialized qualifications that are the subject of specific training in the field of visual impairment .