Development

Learn how to support your baby as they grow and develop through milestones, including gross motor and fine motor development as well as communication skills.

Filter by: Communication, Crawling, Fine and Gross Motor, Orientation and Mobility

a yellow lab puppy

Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment

Southeastern Guide Dogs

Southeastern Guide Dogs places skilled companion dogs with children with vision loss and guide dogs with teens as young as fifteen.

baby boy crawling toward a plush ball

Crawling, Product Reviews

Best Crawling Toys for Babies in 2023

The best crawling toys for babies not only serve as encouragement for crawling, but also provide entertainment and opportunities for exploration.

Baby crawling on carpet.

Crawling

How To Encourage Crawling: 10 Creative Tips for Your Baby

Tummy time is one of the greatest forms of encouragement you can give to your baby as she learns how to crawl. Now learn what the other nine are.

little girl doing sign language

Communication, Potty Training

How to Use Sign Language for Potty Training

Sign language can be helpful for potty training young children who are pre-verbal, kids with special needs, or for multilingual families.

DIY toys

Fine and Gross Motor, Toys

6 DIY Toys to Encourage Fine Motor Development

I talked to an OT about some of the home-made toys she creates for her students to help them learn fine motor skills. Here are six of my favorites!

baby splashing

Development, Visual Impairment

Helping Your Blind Baby Develop Through Play: Setting Developmental Goals and Tracking Progress

As the parent of a visually impaired child, I'm sure you worry about your baby's development, both physically and cognitively. How can you be sure that you're doing all that...

a prototype of the learning blanket with six panels

Fine and Gross Motor, Sensory Activities

The Learning Blanket: Tactile Activity Blankets & Pillows for Visually Impaired Kids

The Learning Blanket creates interactive blankets and pillows for kids who are blind, each containing visual, sensory, tactile and educational activities.

crawling baby

Crawling, Visual Impairment

Crawling & Climbing for Blind Babies

Crawling and climbing are two very important developmental milestones for babies and children who are blind. Some babies may skip these steps or reach them later than their typically developing...

Water Bottle Peg Board

Fine and Gross Motor

Recycling OT Videos

Barbara Smith shares videos with ideas for making interesting games and toys out of basic materials that will encourage fine motor skills.

boy kissing his hand

Communication, Visual Impairment

Teaching Your Visually Impaired Child Sign Language

Jennie writes about how she taught her son, Max, to sign. Max is totally blind and does have a few verbal words, but using signs to augment his early communication...

blind child listening

Communication, Visual Impairment

Helping your blind child develop effective listening skills

Learning to listen carefully and distinguish between different sounds is an important skill for any child, but espeically for children with visual impairments. Lesley Potgieter explains how to assess your...

Ivan and his switch

Assistive Technology, Communication

Switch Play: Using a switch for communication and play!

For children who are non-verbal or have low motor coordination, switches can be a great way to augment their play. If you're just getting started with a switch you may...

Ivan talking

Communication, Visual Impairment

You Can Say That Again! Echolalia in Visually Impaired Children

Learn why children who are visually impaired repeat back what they hear, and how parents can help minimize repetition in a constructive way.

A group of four yellow labs

Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment

Guide Dogs of America

Guide Dogs of America is dedicated to its mission to provide guide dogs and instruction in their use, free of charge, to blind and visually impaired men and women

Adapting Signs app icon and menu

Communication, iPad Apps and Accessibility

Adapting Signs App for Children with Vision Impairment

This app gives tips on how to adapt signs for blind children including videos and written information. It also allows you to create your own dictionary of signs.