Isabella

In June 2011, Isabella will be turning 2 years old. Her family has been a part of our Babies Program for over a year now. Isabella and her mom first started coming into the Hernando Lighthouse where Isabella loved loved loved to spend time in the sensory room. Her favorite part is a tall bubbling tube that changes colors, with colorful pretend fish that move up and down in the bubbles. As soon as they came in the door, Isabella would start listening for the bubbles and smile her big happy smile when she heard them. Isabella’s eye conditions, macular hypoplasia, ocular albinism and nystagmus limit the amount of visual information she can process, but the lights, sounds and textures in the sensory room have really helped her to learn to focus her attention.

Isabella has multiple physical challenges, including cerebral palsy and a spinal condition that has kept her in a brace to support her head and neck for most of her life. In spite of these big challenges, she has been able to learn to sit up with some support and uses her hands to explore those things within her reach. She loves toys with bright colors, lights and music and also petting her kittens. But the thing that lights up her smile most is her family.

Isabella has 4 brothers and sisters and even though she cannot run and play with them yet, she listens for their voices and smiles her big happy smile when they come to play with her. Isabella doesn’t have words yet, but when she smiles and pats your face to say hello, you know what she is saying.

Earlier this year, Isabella’s family moved to Pasco County. Although it is no longer feasible to bring her into the center, Isabella’s family is still able to receive early intervention services because our program is also able to provide home-based services when needed. Isabella’s early intervention teacher visits her family at home each week to work on developing new skills. Although it has been a challenging year for Isabella and her family, as it has for so many others, she has still managed to make terrific progress in her developmental skills. And of course, she still lights up the room with her smile.

A note about the Lighthouse Sensory Room: The sensory room provides an unparalleled learning experience for those who are visually impaired and need a controlled environment in order to develop their blind skills. It eliminates outside distractions while providing a safe and quiet place that encourages exploration. Our room has been designed to stimulate the senses through the use of light, sound and texture, and combined with specialized and individualized instruction, is effective for teaching skills such as using remaining vision, locating sources of light and sound, and developing hand-eye coordination.