Infant Family Focus (IFF)
The BCLC Infant Family Focus program provides direct services in the home to teach new parents the unique developmental needs of their blind baby.
The goal of this earliest intervention is to support each family of a visually impaired infant in developing their baby’s full potential to grow, learn and gain independence.
Serving babies (through age three), infant vision stimulation specialists make home visits to lend support to parents, helping them bond with their baby through means other than sight. And the result?
- Parents gain confidence as they learn to read their infant’s cues.
- Babies learn to trust, anticipate and enjoy the daily rhythm of sleeping, feeding, bathing, infant massage, and playtime.
As the baby grows, a personalized program of sensory-motor activities and communication skills is introduced to strengthen body awareness, spatial orientation, environmental exploration and social interaction.
Referrals to occupational and physical therapists, speech and hearing specialists, counseling and medical professionals, and appropriate community resources are made as needed.
The journey then continues with our Early Childhood Center, where visually impaired preschool aged children learn alongside their sighted peers. And finally, the Outreach program provides the advocacy, coaching and training needed to ensure these children’s success in public schools.
