Abigail loves doing puzzles and as she plays, she is becoming more adept at compensating for her vision loss by using both hands to place the pieces.
Abigail’s family celebrated her second birthday in May, although they knew it should have been in August. She was born three months prematurely, so her first months were a blur of stress, worry, uncertainty, and intense hope for her family. Abigail spent months in the neonatal unit before they could bring her home, and she was treated by countless specialists for the many complications that came from arriving so early. One of those complications, retinopathy of prematurity, caused her to lose the vision completely in one eye and it permanently damaged the other.
Her family moved to Pasco County from the Chicago area last year and they immediately set out to find resources available to help Abigail to do her best. They were happy to find out that Abigail could receive Lighthouse Early Intervention Services, to help address her vision issues in her own environment at home. She works with other therapy providers in clinical settings.
Abigail is also attracted to colorful objects which stimulate her vision and curiosity.
Abigail is a joyful, energetic, intellectually curious little girl. She moves around in her familiar surroundings at a typical two-year-old pace, which means full speed ahead. She is interested but cautious about trying new things. She loves listening to music and dances with joy. She enjoys doing big puzzles and looking at big picture books with animals. She is quiet and intent when using her vision for more detailed activities.
Abigail has learned to use her fingers to fill in information that her eyes may have missed. For example, because depth perception is a challenge for her, she uses her right hand to find the space in her favorite shape puzzle, and the left for putting specific pieces into place. Using touch to identify shapes is also an important pre-literacy skill that will be important if Abigail becomes a braille reader in the future. Abigail is working with our Early Interventionist to learn ways to combine touching, listening, smelling, and tasting with her residual vision to help her make sense of the world.
Each year, Lighthouse holds the Chasco Coronation Ball, to raise funds for services provided to blind babies, children and teens. Learn about the Ball and some of the people who are making a difference in our young clients’ lives.
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