Last week i went on a course for parents of visually impaired children, it was SUCH an eye opener ( pardon the pun! )

Firstly , we were asked to wear glasses which simulated partial sight, we then had to sit around a table and wearing these glasses were asked to make some breakfast! The plates, bowls, cuttlery were white, on a white tablecloth, etc..., I couldn't have imagined how difficult that would be until this moment! It was SOOOO difficult! It really made you realise how much you must rely on the people sat around you to help you with things and pass you things but of course when you asked for things people kept saying here it is ...... WHERE!!?!?!? lol the end result was very messy but really brought home to us how difficult the things we take for granted are, I felt quite emotional at this.

Then in pairs we did some things that our children will be expected to do in the coming few years, a simple worksheet from school, make a card etc.... it was all SO SO hard! The things we do without a second thought had to be really thought out and of course you had to rely so much on the partner. Next we had to lead each other around the outside of the grounds blindfolded! That was REALLY weird! Everything felt bigger than it was! The slightest alteration in the ground underneath your feet felt like you were falling or tripping! It was really strange but again made you realise how lucky we are to be fully sighted.

I met with someone from the childrens centre this week who was really helpful. Charlie is going to start a developmental playgroup in a few months time and then next year will get 2 sessions a week in a special needs nursery which will be so good for him I think, hopefully it will give him that bit of a headstart and build his confidence before he is ready for mainstream nursery.

He has also had a letter to say he's on the waiting list for an occupational health assesment and his helmet is ready too so we have to go on tuesday to pick that up. It can't come soon enough because he is really banging it hard at the moment! He is also doing a few other sensory stimulants, like pushing his eyes in quite hard, spinning round in circls and rolling his eyes etc.. The woman from the childrens centre saw these all first hand which i was really pleased about because you know what kids are like! Never do things like that when you want them too usually! lol

It's difficult because whilst these stimulants are meaning he is getting some feedback to his brain which he finds really comforting, it's not ideal when he wants to start spinning and banging his head outside on the concrete etc! So we are trying to just find a bit of a balance with that at the moment.

So all in all things feel like they are moving along in a positive way and i'm so glad that he has so much support out there from the health proffesionals.