Our need to move is ingrained, just like the need for food and love. Sight is the main element in our motivation to move: a baby raises his head to see his mother’s face, he reaches out for a toy and then he crawls and examines his close environment since he wants to reach the objects he sees.
The blind infant needs mediation, support, and guidance in order to reach the motor milestones for his age. Without the proper mediation at the right time it is possible that the infant will be passive, will be afraid of moving, and his physical fitness will not improve and may even deteriorate. The visually impaired child needs to form his body image, to get familiarized with his personal space and the natural environment in which he is living.
ELIYA’s physiotherapy is a part of the whole treatment provided to the visually impaired child. Through physiotherapy the child learns and practices controlling his body: how to regulate his muscle power and how to use it, how to achieve effective and efficient movement and how to use a series of functional movements to expand and diversify his range of movement.
The purpose of the program is to enable the blind child to be an active participant in his daily contact with his family and the extended community.
Through ELIYA’s physiotherapy the child learns to use his hearing, his sense of touch and any residual vision to be able to control and enjoy his movement and learn motor strategies to achieve high level and complex skills such as running, skipping and jumping. The goals each child faces are modified according to his age and motor abilities.
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