Everybody's lockdown for corona virus is no doubt a different experience.

My family and I count ourselves very lucky to have few worries, and to have access to a garden, but we understand the stresses and strains of being stuck at home all the time, perhaps with financial worries.

So what is this experience like for children with cerebral visual impairment and their families?

We've heard stories of how some affected children with significant learning difficulties are thriving. The slower pace of life, lack of aircraft and traffic noise, and an increase in wild life and bird song have had a calming affect.

On the other hand, disruption of routine, lack of school and the stresses of constrained family life have for some, made living like this more difficult to deal with.

So how best can you think about what your child is experiencing, and use this information to help your child, and by extension, yourself?

Thinking at a very basic level...

The brain at the back of the head that creates our mental images, handles incoming information in terms of:

• Time - Are things too slow or too fast? Is what is being looked at, (and listened to), at the right pace to be seen and understood?
• Space - Is it in the best place to be seen? Is it big enough, and are the details big and clear enough to see and learn from?
• Information - Does what is being seen and experienced make sense, and is it comfortable or stressful?
• Emotion - Are other people's emotions being picked up on and reacted to? If so are these positive or not.

Then at a higher level...

• Is the change in routine still upsetting?
• Is a favourite person being missed?
• Are there worries among the grown ups that are being picked up on?
• Are the chances to get outside and play too limited?

The list is long, but see if you can for a moment imagine looking out through your child's eyes, and see as they see.

For every young person with CVI who is finding things difficult, why not think along these lines, by asking oneself these questions from their point of view, and if the answer is 'Yes', seeing whether it's possible to do something for the better.

Is it time for a tidy up to remove all that clutter?
Maybe having a chill out zone in a corner of the flat would help?
Can your anxieties be sidelined by playing and having fun, when giving your child that special time?

There may be no quick fixes, but if the ideas in this blog in some way help even just a few children feel more content and receptive, then that'll have made my day!

For all children (and adults) the bottom line is Love!