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

ivan touching a tree

Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment

Adventure Walks: Helping Your Child Who is Blind Move Around Outdoors

Getting your blind child outside and moving around in the community can help them develop motor skills as well as Orientation and Mobility skills.

Picture of a steering wheel with a pole that has a wheel at the end

Orientation and Mobility, Toys

Go Wheelie: An Early Mobility Toy?

The Go Wheelie features an easy turning steering wheel and makes a fun clicking noise as children drive to their destination. It provides a fun, safe way for children to...

Lessonpix

Communication

LessonPix Online Materials: Symbols & Visuals

Large pictures can be a great way to introduce concepts to children with low vision and can really help kids who need help with communication.

2 guide dogs

Orientation and Mobility

MIRA Guide Dog Foundation

The MIRA Foundation is totally dedicated to helping disabled individuals by teaming them with dogs bred and fully trained to respond to their adaptation and rehabilitation needs.

Holding a white cane

Orientation and Mobility

Free White Cane Program

NFB believes the long white cane is a means to independence and with this in mind NFB has created a program to provide free white canes to people who are...

girl wearing AFOs

Fine and Gross Motor

Hatchbacks AFO Footwear

Hatchbacks are shoes designed specifically for children wearing AFO's, DAFO's, and orthotics. The shoes are easy to put on and easy to keep on, but most importantly they look really...

Demostration of ASL Browser

Communication, Special Needs

American Sign Language (ASL) Browser

The American Sign Language Browser allows you to choose any word starting with any letter and watch a short Quick Time video demonstration of that word being signed.

Boy walking on stairs with his cane

Orientation and Mobility

Early Explorers: A Cane Travel Program for Blind and Low Vision Children

This is a program for children age birth to 7 years old. It provides a white cane, instructional DVD, and other resources to help parents assist their children with O&M...

Walking with cane

Orientation and Mobility

Watch a Blind Baby Walking with His Cane!

Watch ten month old Alan walk around his living room with his new cane. He's totally blind, but does a wonderful job getting around obstacles!

Sami Stoner running with her dog, Chloe

Orientation and Mobility

Blind Teen Runs with Her Guide Dog

Sami Stoner, a teenager in Ohio, has always been a runner, but when she began to lose her sight due to Stargardt's disease, she thought she would have to stop...

Ivan playing with his toy

Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment

Helping Your Blind Baby Learn How to Reach for Objects

Susan Shier Lowry, an Orientation and Mobility specialist, writes about how you can encourage your child to reach out for objects and how reaching can help develop orientation skills needed...

3 kids walking with their canes

Orientation and Mobility

Precane vs Long Cane

Susan Lowry, Orientation and Mobility specialist, answers the question: Is my child ready for a long cane or a precane?

Ivan with his cane in his wheelchair

Orientation and Mobility

Wheelchair Orientation & Mobility

How does a blind person learn orientation and mobility skills when they are also using a wheelchair? Perkins eLearning provides a video series on Wheelchair Orientation & Mobility on the...

Ivan at the audiologist

Communication

A Visit to Audiology

We visit an audiologist to check our blind son's hearing. What will the audiologist do? What can we learn?

Ivan with his object calendar

Communication

Planning the Day with Object Calendars

Creating a plan and a tangible system of communication is the best way to help your child deal with transitions. Using an object calendar or a schedule box can ease...

Ivan in aquatherapy

Fine and Gross Motor

What is Aquatic Therapy?

Aquatherapy for children with disabilities improves strength and flexibility and also focuses on body awareness, sensory integration, motor planning, and learning how to move muscles in new ways. The pool...

AbilityPath logo

Development, Special Needs

AbilityPath

AbilityPath.org is an online hub and special needs community for parents and professionals to learn, connect and live a more balanced life - through all phases of a child's growth...

white canes

Orientation and Mobility

Great Place for Canes

Advantage Canes is a wonderful organization that also fixes canes, replaces tips and does everything quickly. They can also make specialty canes based on your height.

No Bones About It logo

Orientation and Mobility

No Bones About It: Official Blog of Guide Dogs for the Blind

No Bones About it is the official blog of Guide Dogs for the Blind. You can enjoy great posts by frequent No Bones About It contributors.

Ivan playing with his can puzzle

Fine and Gross Motor, Toys

Make Your Own Can Puzzle!

If your child has a vision impairment or struggles with fine motor skills you may want to create a sorting puzzle that is simple. Most sorting puzzles have multiple shapes,...

Ivan in his swing

Development, Visual Impairment

Vestibular Stimulation: Making Sense of the Other Senses When Your Child is Blind

Many children with visual impairments seek out physically stimulating activities, like swinging or rocking. Here are ways you can help channel that energy.

Ivan at Grocery Store

Development, Visual Impairment

Everyday Activities for Blind Children

Simple ways to introduce your blind or disabled child to everyday activities and experiences. Teach your child about how the world works and the things people do every day.

Ivan signing bib

Communication, Visual Impairment

Sign Language for Blind Babies

Can sign language work for blind babies? Signs are made to be very visual, can blind babies really pick them up? We're here to tell you first hand, YES! We'll...

Ivan scooting through a tunnel

Orientation and Mobility, Visual Impairment

Orientation & Mobility for Blind Babies

How to begin orientation and mobility (O&M) training for your blind infant - before they're even crawling!