Vision
People who have Down syndrome often have difficulty with their eyesight, with up to half needing to wear glasses. It is important to make sure they have regular eye tests and checks.
It can also be tricky for children and adults with Down syndrome to find glasses that fit and stay on, primarily because they often have noses with flat bridges and absent or small nasal bones. Many of our families have recommended Tomato Glasses as providing a good fit, while others have been able to find 'off-the-shelf' glasses in their local opticians.
Even those with correctly prescribed and fitted glasses will have lower visual acuity than others, meaning everything they see lacks detail and contrast.
In education, it is important that teachers are aware of this and might find the following adjustments helpful to help with reading and writing skills:
- Children should write in black PEN, not pencil
- Print should be enlarged to 2-4 times larger than other children in the same class
- Faint lines on the page should be emboldened in black pen so they are readily visible
- Text should have a plain light background (no text on top of images)
- Print should be BIG and BOLD
- Images in learning materials should be of high contrast.
A tip to teachers is that ensuring all materials are readily visible to a child with Down syndrome is not detrimental to the other children. If all material is big and bold, there may be no need to do extra work to modify material for one child.
Since the visual deficit in children with Down syndrome is permanent and will become increasingly significant as a child progresses through school (and the work becomes more demanding), it is essential that the visual problems are included in every child's Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP).
Hearing
Hearing plays an important part in children's development and learning, especially in speech and language and social skills. People with Down syndrome need to have their hearing tested regularly- ask your paediatrician or GP if you have concerns about your child's hearing.
Many people with Down syndrome need input from audiology due to conductive (from glue ear or a buildup of earwax) or sensorineural hearing loss.
For those who use a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), our families have recommended Baha Accessories UK as a good place to buy fun spare headbands and hats.
