Autism
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates and relates to people around them. Children and adults with autism are unable to relate to others in a meaningful way. Their ability to develop friendships is impaired, as is their capacity to understand other people's feelings. People with autism often have accompanying learning disabilities, but everyone with the condition shares a difficulty in making sense of the world. There is also a condition called Asperger syndrome, a form of autism used to describe people at the higher functioning end of the autistic spectrum. Reality to an autistic person is a confusing, interacting mass of events, people, places, sounds and sights. There seems to be no clear boundaries, order or meaning to anything.
Action for ASD is holding a course on:
* Managing behaviour within the school environment for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), in Accrington on 25 September.
Participants will learn helpful strategies to help the child function and manage within the classroom.
Autism Cymru is running a workshop on:
* Understanding and working with autistic spectrum disorders, in Llandrindod Wells on 4 July. This workshop is for people new to ASD, and combines theory and practice.
Autism West Midlands is holding a two-day conference on:
* Autism, in Birmingham in July. Professionals in the field of ASD, family members and people with ASD will give presentations at the conference.
The British Institute for Learning Disabilities (BILD) runs one-day courses on topics including:
* Understanding challenging behaviour, in London on 23 September, Warrington on14 October and Sheffield on 5 November. This course explores the nature of risks, both seen and unseen, and the unforeseen and practical implications for managing them.
* Learning disabilities and mental health issues, in London on 9 October and Birmingham on 4 December.
* Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder, in Kidderminster on 30 September, London on 15 October and Swindon on 5 November. This course considers the causes and effects of autism, and looks at ways of working with a person who has an ASD.
BILD also runs a range of in-house training courses, including:
* Autism.
* Challenging behaviour.
* Mental health issues.
* Working with families.
Care Training is running seminars on:
* ASD: Communication, behaviour and relationships, in Manchester on 1 July, Bristol on 3 July, Harrogate on 9 July, Porthcawl on 15 July, Sheffield on 24 July and London on 29 July. This seminar will explore the reasons why people with ASD challenge, and will explore positive ways to encourage appropriate behaviours.
* Asperger syndrome: Social integration skills training, in Southampton on 4 July, Croydon on 18 July and Liverpool on 28 July. This seminar will offer ways to help people with Asperger syndrome develop social skills.
The Centre for Education and Training in Autism (CETA) runs a number of courses, including:
* An introduction to ASD, on 23 June, 2 September, 22 October and 5 December.
* Recent advances in our understanding of ASD, on 30 June.
* Frameworks for communication: An approach to early diagnosis and intervention for children with autism and related communication disorders, on 11 September.
* Asperger syndrome: The facts, on 18 September.
* Figurative language and humour in children with Asperger syndrome, on 21 October.
* Sensory processing and its impact on children with ASD, on 13 November.
* Children with Asperger syndrome in mainstream schools, on 21 November.
Heghog Training has a course on:
* The TEACCH approach to working with people with ASD and families, in Glasgow on 26 September. This seminar gives an overview of the background and implementation of structured teaching in relation to the lifelong needs of people who have ASD.
I CAN runs courses including:
* Helping children with semantic and pragmatic language difficulties to learn and communicate in the classroom, in London, on 1 October.
* An introduction to autism and Asperger's syndrome, a half-day course in London on 2 October, and Bristol on 29 January 2004.
The National Autistic Society runs a number of courses, workshops and conferences, including:
* Introduction to TEACCH, in Nottingham, on 19 to 21 November.
* Structured teaching in the home, in Nottingham, on 22 November.
* Principles and practice in working with individuals with autistic spectrum disorders, in Worcester, from 26 June. This is a six-day training course held one day a fortnight over a 12-week period. Each day focuses on an area related to the autistic spectrum, and explores ways of working alongside individuals with autism and Asperger syndrome in a range of settings. It is of relevance to anyone working with people with an autism spectrum disorder, including support staff, parents and health professionals. For details contact the NAS Training Department on 0115 911 3363 or e-mail Training@nas.org.uk.
Psychology and Training International (PTI) has a course on:
* Autistic spectrum disorders: The child in mainstream school, in Nottingham, on 23 June. This course is for all people working in Key Stages 1 to 4.
Parents and Professionals Against Autism (PAPA) seeks to ensure children and adults within the autistic spectrum and their carers have access to appropriate services. It has 13 support branches throughout Northern Ireland and Donegal, and has produced a number of resources for parents and carers. Forthcoming events include:
* PAPA annual general meeting, on 27 September (venue to be confirmed).
* TEACCH - a five-day training course in November.
Tinies Childcare has a workshop on:
* Autism awareness. This is run as an intensive one-day workshop or as two three-hour evening sessions. It covers what autism is, the triad of impairments and interventions.
Breathing difficulties
The British Lung Foundation provides a complete package of support for people living with lung disease and the people who look after them, in hospital and at home. It was set up in 1985 was established by a group of lung specialists at London!s Royal Brompton Hospital and is the only UK charity that tackles all aspects of the 40-plus lung conditions that affect, on average, at least one member of every family, from premature babies with breathing problems to children with asthma or older people with cancer or emphysema. The British Lung Foundation supports people living with lung disease by providing information to the public on lung conditions and all aspects of lung health, supporting those living with a lung condition through the Breathe Easy Club, whose network of 20,000 supporters and more than 100 groups across the UK provide a unique network of support and information, and funding research. It has given more than 15.5m to more than 270 research projects.
Cerebral palsy
The Conductive Education Centre is run by the Hornsey Trust and the only specialist centre and school for children with cerebral palsy in London to be approved by the Department for Education and Skills. It runs one-week introductory and intermediate courses for childcarers interested in the Conductive Education system, but shorter day courses can be arranged to meet the needs of any particular unit or group on request. The courses introduce participants to the theory and practice of conductive education as applied to young children with cerebral palsy. Topics include:
* Boxing clever. This is a new course for teaching assistants and SENCOs working in Key Stages 1 and 2. It aims to give participants the competencies and confidence to move their school forward within the wider context of inclusion, and to show them a range of practical ideas and resources to support a wide range of children with special needs.
* A child with cerebral palsy in the classroom. This course is for teachers, learning support assistants and SENCOs working with a child who has cerebral palsy within mainstream education.
The Centre also holds:
* Workshops for children with dyspraxia, on Saturdays from 10am to 11am and 11.30am to 12.30pm. Dyspraxia is defined as an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, and has become an umbrella term for disorders in which one or several areas of development are affected.
* Information mornings for parents, covering topics including cerebral palsy, conductive education, and advice and support for children in mainstream education. The workshop programme includes sessions and activities designed to improve children's balance, co-ordination, perception, physical awareness, handwriting and social skills.
Deafblindness
Deafblindness - a combination of sight and hearing loss - is one of the most challenging disabilities someone can face. The charity Sense offers a wide range of services across the UK to help sensory-impaired people of all ages to reach their full potential, despite the challenges facing them. It produces wide range of specialist publications and fact sheets on topics including deafblindness, Usher syndrome, sharing information with deafblind children and their families, and toy and equipment catalogues. Sense also has a family network giving opportunities for people to meet, stay in contact and have fun.
Down's syndrome
Two babies with Down's syndrome are born every day in the UK. Down's syndrome is the most common cause of learning disability, and is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in a baby's cells. It occurs by chance at conception and is irreversible. Down's syndome is not a disease and people with the condition are not ill. There are around 16,000 school-age children with Down's syndrome in the UK.
The Down's Syndrome Association aims to help people with the condition live full and rewarding lives.
It provides information, counselling and support for people with Down's syndrome and their families and carers, and is also a resource for interested professionals.
The Down Syndrome Educational Trust works to advance the development and education of individuals with Down's syndrome. It runs workshops and courses at the Sarah Duffen Centre for parents, teachers, health visitors and early years professionals on the early development and education of children who have Down's syndrome, including:
* Meeting the educational needs of children with Down's syndrome in mainstream primary schools, on 23 September.
* The development and education of children with Down's syndrome in infancy and pre-school years: An overview from birth to five, on 13 October.
* The cognitive development and education of children with Down's syndrome in infancy and pre-school years: An overview from birth to five, on 20 October.
* The social development and education of children with Down's syndrome in infancy and pre-school years: An overview from birth to five, on 21 October.
* Supporting the development and education of children with Down's syndrome, on 3 and 4 November.
* Speech and language development for children with Down's syndrome from birth to teenage years, on 10 and 11 November.
* The cognitive development and education of children with Down's syndrome, from the age of five to 11, on 17 November.
* The social development and education of children with Down's syndrome, from the age of five to 11, on 18 November.
Dyslexia
The British Dyslexia Association offers advice, information and help to families, professionals and dyslexic individuals, and works to raise awareness and understanding of dyslexia to effect change. It promotes early identification and support in schools to ensure dyslexic children have an opportunity to learn, and seeks to raise awareness of the effects of dyslexia.
Forthcoming events include:
* Dyslexia conference, at the University of Wales, Bangor, from 24 to 26 July. Contact 01248 388088 or e-mail j.brooke@bangor.ac.uk,website www.dyslexia.bangor.ac.uk.
* Dyslexia awareness week, from 29 September to 4 October, which is on the theme of employability.
Emotional and behavioural difficulties
The Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association (SEBDA), formerly the Association of Workers for Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (AWCEBD), promotes excellence in services for children and young people who have emotional and behavioural difficulties, and supports those who work with them. It is concerned with children and young people of all ages in whatever setting their special need is found, and supports workers in schools, voluntary societies and health settings.
Forthcoming events include:
* Communication, emotion and behaviour: Working together with young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, at the University of Leicester on 12 to 14 September. This conference will provide practical, theoretical and policy perspectives on social, emotional, behavioural and communication problems.
Fragile X
Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of learning disability. It shows itself in a wide range of learning and behaviour difficulties, varying from subtle educational delays to severe mental handicap. The most striking feature of Fragile X is challenging behaviour.
A typical Fragile X boy is inattentive, easily distracted, impulsive and overactive. Girls are usually less affected than boys, but have similar attentional difficulties. They are often extremely shy and socially withdrawn. Many have autistic-like features such as a dislike of eye contact, difficulty in relating to other people, anxiety in social situations often leading to tantrums and insistence on familiar routines.
Physical features include a largish head and prominent ears, but these are rarely obvious in young children, and, which often results in diagnosis being missed or delayed.
The Fragile X Society provides support, advice and information for Fragile X families, and promotes research into the condition. In addition, it has five national helplines for education 'statementing', speech therapy, epilepsy, family welfare benefits and adult services. The society holds national conferences and regional meetings, and publishes booklets, papers and a twice-yearly newsletter.
Hearing impairment
The National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) is the only UK charity exclusively dedicated to supporting all deaf children and their families in overcoming the challenges of childhood deafness. It runs conferences and workshops for people working with hearing-impaired children, including:
* Challenging childhood deafness: Expanding horizons - the NDCS annual conference and exhibition, in Telford on 20 and 21 June. The first day is for professionals and includes three parallel sessions on Skills and knowledge for innovation in service provision, Young deaf people as leaders, and Parents and families as partners. The second day is open to families, children and the public, to provide access to a unique cross-section of manufacturers, service providers, schools and charities.
The NDCS also runs events across the country, including:
* Newly-identified family weekend, in Northern Ireland from 5 to 7 September. This course is for families with deaf children who have been identified within the past 12 to 18 months.
* A learning support assistants training course, for people working in primary schools, on 18 and 19 September.
* North Wales fun day, on 27 September.
* Early years information day on 4 October, for people with a newly-identified child under the age of five.
Learning disabilities
The British Institute for Learning Disabilities (BILD) seeks to improve the quality of life of all people with a learning disability by providing information, publications, and training and consultancy services for organisations and individuals. It also runs conferences and courses including:
* Healthcare to meet health needs, in Birmingham from 24 to 26 September. This three-day conference will explore issues around how people with a learning disability have more illness and a greater need for healthcare compared to the general population, yet most find it difficult to get the health services they need.
* Developing policies for the management of challenging behaviour and physical interventions, in Birmingham on 26 June, and Manchester on 29 October. This course is for professionals developing or reviewing policy, procedure and practice in relation to the management of challenging behaviour.
* Understanding challenging behaviour, in London on 23 September and Sheffield on 5 November.
* Learning difficulties and mental health issues, in London on 9 October and Birmingham on 4 December.
* 'From the inside looking out' - Exploring feelings and emotions, in London on 15 October.
* Interviewing children and adults with learning disabilities, in Sheffield on 15 October.
* Self-injurious behaviour, in Sheffield on 4 November and Telford on 11 November.
* Difficult and aggressive behaviour, in London on 2 December. This course is for staff working with people with learning disabilities who present challenging or difficult behaviours.
ENABLE is the largest membership organisation in Scotland for people with learning disabilities and family carers. It was formed in 1954 by a small group of parents because many families with a child with learning disabilities felt alone and isolated. They wanted better services for their sons and daughters and better support for parents. It now has more than 60 local branches or groups across Scotland and many of its members are people with learning disabilities. ENABLE runs a wide range of services including information, legal advice, and support for local groups focused on the needs of children. In many parts of Scotland it provides direct care services for children and adults with learning disabilities through its limited company, ENABLE Scotland. Its services cover all needs from mild learning disabilities to profound and complex disabilities and include housing with support, day services and after-school care.
Enable Ireland is the country's largest provider of services for people with physical disabilities and their families. It has 11 regional centres providing services for about 2,200 children and 200 adults. Its children's services cover all aspects of a child's physical, educational and social development from early infancy through adolescence.
Makaton is a unique language programme offering a structured, multi-modal approach for the teaching of communication, language and literacy skills.
Devised for children and adults with a variety of communication and learning disabilities, Makaton is used extensively throughout the UK and has been adapted for use in over 40 other countries. The Makaton vocabulary programme has been in existence for nearly 30 years. It has been designed to provide functional communication for many people with a learning disablility and those that share their lives. The Makaton programme may also be used to develop language and literacy skills through the combined use signs and symbols with speech. As people with learning disabilities often process information more successfully when presented in a visual way rather than a purely auditory form, Makaton enables its users to utilise signs and/or symbols alongside speech and so convey information with greater clarity. This helps enhance the quality of life for people with a learning disability, giving them greater control in terms of expressing their wishes, wants and feelings. Makaton workshops range from introductory to follow-up and symbol workshops, and may be delivered as full-day or half-day workshops or as two- or three-hour modules. They offer participants the opportunity to explore the many aspects of effective communication and improve your communication skills with people who have learning disabilities. There are also distance training packs designed for parents and carers which they can use to learn how to use Makaton.
Sometimes groups of parents buy the pack to share, or toy libraries, nurseries, schools and speech therapy clinics have a pack to loan out.
There is a national network of around 700 qualified and licensed Makaton tutors who provide the full range of workshops for parents and carer and professionals. If you contact Louise Wood at the Makaton Vocabulary Development Project, giving your address, she will let you have the names of tutors near you for you to contact for details of training they are providing.
Mencap is the UK's leading disability charity working with children and adults with a learning difficulty and their families and carers to improve their lives and opportunities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mencap provides a variety of support services including accessibility, community support, education, employment, and housing and support services.
Portage
Portage is a home-visiting service for pre-school children with special needs. It is based on the principle that parents are the key figures in the care and development of their child. The Portage home-training scheme was developed in the USA, in Portage, Wisconsin, to meet the needs of young children living in rural communities there. The scheme is different from other educational services for young children as, instead of taking children to the service, the service is brought to the children and their families in their own home. Portage is based on four main activities: weekly home visits by a trained home visitor; weekly written teaching activities designed for each individual child and parent; teaching and recording carried out by the parent; and weekly supervision by the home visitor. The National Portage Association runs:
* Training workshops throughout the country for parents and professionals working with pre-school children with special needs. These cover portage history, theories and practice.
Special needs
All Together training and consultancy offers in-house training for Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCOs), Area SENCOs, equal opportunities co-ordinators, early years workers, childminders, managers and other early years professionals. Workshops include:
* Making inclusion work in early years settings.
* Anti-discriminatory practice for early years settings.
* Good practice in making a policy on SEN/inclusion.
* The role of the early years SENCO.
* Working with the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
* Implications of disability discrimination legislation for early years settings.
Children in Scotland will be running workshops in the autumn on topics including:
* Promoting positive behaviour in the early years, in Stirling on 20 June.
* Participation training: Making participation meaningful, in Dundee on 25 June.
* Therapeutic play with children with disabilities, in Edinburgh on 28 June.
* Dealing with conflict, anger and aggression in under-12s.
* Additional support needs - involving parents in identification and assessment.
* Additional support needs - Involving parents in decision-making.
* Introduction to play therapy.
CJ Associates in High Wycombe runs courses on:
* The role of the SENCO.
* Effective communication with disabled children.
* Working with challenging behaviour.
The Council for Awards in Children's Care and Education (CACHE) Level 3 Certificate in Professional Development in Work with Children and Young People has an optional unit on:
* Working with children and young people with special needs.
Direction Training and Management runs a course on:
* Managing special needs in your nursery.
* Encouraging positive behaviour.
* Managing challenging behaviour.
Kidsactive is a national charity whose mission is to ensure that the play needs of disabled children and young people are fulfilled. It offers inclusive play and childcare courses for workers at all levels, as well as giving an introduction to disability legislation for policymakers. These include:
* Planning Inclusive Play (PIP). This is a 35-hour, Level 3 course that provides theoretical and practical training to enable team leaders to be confident in implementing inclusive policy and practice. It has been developed through a contract from the Department for Education and Skills.
Kidsactive publications that support this work include Side by Side: Guidelines for inclusive play, It doesn't just happen: Inclusive management for inclusive play and a free bi-annual newsletter Pipnews.
The Montessori Centre International has a two-stage distance learning professional development course on:
* Special educational needs. This course is designed to provide an introduction to the theoretical and practical aspects of special needs education.
The National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) promotes the education and development of all people with special educational needs. It has produced policies on the early years, professional development, partnership with parents, curriculum access, and learning support assistants, among others. NASEN runs regional courses on topics including:
* Mathematics.
* Emotional and behavioural difficulties.
* Challenging behaviours.
* Autism.
* Speech and language difficulties.
* History of special educational needs.
* Attention Deficit Disorder.
* Differentiation for children with profound and multiple difficulties.
* Literacy.
NASEN, in conjunction with the Times Educational Supplement, is also staging a three-day exhibition:
* The NASEN/TES SEN Exhibition, in London from 30 October to 1 November.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) runs courses at its national training centre in Leicester and throughout the UK.
They reflect up-to-date research, theory and best practice, and are available to organisations in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that provide services to children and families, and include:
* Child protection awareness. This is an EduCare Distance Learning Programme.
* Child protection awareness in education. This is also an EduCare Distance Learning Programme.
* Child protection supervision skills.
* Children's involvement in family support and child protection.
* Communication skills: Working with abused children.
* Domestic violence and its impact on children.
* Induced or fabricated illness.
* Working with disabled children.
* Working with girls and women who are survivors of child sexual abuse.
NIPPA: The Early Years Organisation runs short courses in Northern Ireland including:
* Managing challenging behaviour in children. This course will give practitioners skills to support parents and carers faced with children who exhibit challenging behaviour.
* Promoting child learning through adult/child interaction. Participants will learn about the importance of supporting children's play and strategies for interacting with children.
* The pre-school child with autism - Developing a visually-structured approach.
* Working with children who have special needs. This 20-hour course covers the skills needed to plan structured programmes to help children with special needs, in consultation with parents and carers.
* Working with children with specific special needs. This new 20-hour course starting in September will examine how to meet the specific special needs most often found in early years settings - cerebral palsy, autistic spectrum disorders, Down's syndrome, ADHD, visual impairment, hearing impairment and language impairment.
The Northern Ireland Childminding Association runs a 20-hour course on:
* Extra special - caring for children with additional needs. This course covers the labeling and history of disability etiquette; causes of conditions; observing, planning and evaluating learning for special needs children; communication systems for special needs; and behaviour management and child protection.
The Pre-school Learning Alliance runs:
* Working with children with special educational needs. This popular 60-hour course is an optional unit in the CACHELevel 3 Diploma in Pre-school Practice.
* Managing children's behaviour. This ten-hour course explores what is meant by challenging behaviour, its causes and the role of adults in developing a positive framework.
* Special educational needs:A briefing for everyone. This 10-hour course is for everyone involved in the pre-school setting. SENis the responsibility of everyone in the pre-school and this course will help to develop an ethos of inclusion so everyone meets the requirements of the SENCode ofPractice.
* Workshops on the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice. This can be delivered as a 20-hour course or five half-day sessions and it provides a full briefing on SEN legislation.
* A series of 12 six-hour workshops called Building strong foundations.
Each workshop can be delivered flexibly to enable practitioners successfully to deliver Foundation Stage education.
* Good practice in the provision of care and education for children between birth and the age of three. This workshop is aimed at senior staff in settings that are providing for children of this age range. There is also a 10-hour course with the same name for pre-school assistants to help them to work directly with the children.
* Making links with parents, pre-schools and communities. This 10-hour course will help staff to reflect on their work with parents and plan for involving parents in their children's education.
Speech and language
Around five per cent of children will stammer at some point in their lives.
Most will overcome the condition, with or without help, but about one per cent may continue to stammer into adulthood. Stammering usually begins between the ages of two and five, when children are rapidly developing their speech and language skills. Boys are often more vulnerable to speech and language problems generally, and some research has suggested more girls grow out of the problem than boys. Worried parents should seek help as soon as possible from speech and language therapy services, through the NHS. The earlier help is provided, the more likely the child is to either overcome the problem or learn to manage it successfully.
Afasic seeks to raise awareness and to create better services and provision for children and young people with speech and language impairments. It works in partnership with local and national government, professional and statutory bodies, and other voluntary organisations. It is holding a:
* Parents' conference, in London on 8 November. Contact Carol Lingwood on 01273 381009, e-mail carol@lingwoods.demon.co.uk.
The Association for Research into Stammering in Childhood (ARSC) funds research into the complex causes of stammering and the most effective treatments for children and young adults. It jointly funds the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering Children, with Islington Primary Care Trust.
The actor agreed to the centre being named after him following his role in the film 'A Fish Called Wanda', in which he portrayed a character called Ken who stammered. Michael based the role on his own father, who stammered all his life.
The British Stammering Association aims to help eliminate stammering in young children by improving information for professionals working with the under-fives and to help teachers to be more responsive to the needs of stammering pupils. The Association also provides information for parents of children under five, primary and secondary school children, teenagers and young adults, adults who stammer, as well as speech and language therapists. In addition, it can put UK residents in touch with their local NHS speech and language therapy department. These departments usually operate on a self-referral basis so you can make an appointment yourself.
I CAN is the national educational charity for children who have speech and language difficulties. It runs a number of courses relevant for early years professionals, including:
* Learning together:Working together - Teachers and speech and language therapists working together in the early years, in Northern Ireland on 23 June and London on 10 July.
* National numeracy strategy for pupils with speech and language difficulties and/or special educational needs, in London on 8 July.
* The SENcontext, past, present and future for pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties, a two-day course in London on 17 September and 4 November.
* Communicating in the classroom: An introduction to identifying and supporting children with speech and language impairment in schools, in London on 19September.
* Language for learning:Developing thinking skills in the FoundationStage, and Key Stages 1 and 2, in Nottingham on 26 September.
* Key introducing augumentative communication strategies in early years settings, in London on 7 October.
* Social, emotional and behavioural development in pupils with speech, language and communication difficulties, a two-day course in London on 8 October and 9 December.
* Joint professional framework foundation level for trainers, in London on 13 October, Edinburgh on 14 November, Bristol on 9 December and Northern Ireland on 19 January 2004.
* Communicating in the classroom:A focus on expressive language impairment, in London on 15 October.
* Collaboration matters:Developing a collaborative framework for the provision of speech and language therapy services in education, in London on 10 November.
* English as an additional language:Language and communications, in London on 11 November.
* Involving early childhood educators and teachers as language facilitators - Advanced workshop for Hanen certified speech-language therapists on learning language and loving it, in London from 17 to 19 November.
Visual impairment
The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) provides more than 60 different services for two million people with serious sight problems. It believes children with sight problems should enjoy the same rights, freedoms, responsibilities and quality of life as those who are fully sighted, and that early support for parents and children is essential to enable such children to develop their full potential. It has a range of publications and videos for parents and professionals, including Your First Steps, which tells how the eye works, commonly used medical terms and details of common eye conditions. RNIB education and employment centres offer a range of specialist assessments, toy libraries, family events, information and advice. Its pre-16 education officers are based in regional centres and can deliver a variety of services.
For advice about toys and play activities, the RNIB/BTHA Toy Catalogue is available from RNIB Customer Services on 0845 702 3153 or e-mail Cservices@rnib.org.uk.
