The diagnosis and treatment of children suffering from infantile encephalopathy is part of daily childneurological practice. Over the past years, a considerable amount of knowledge has been accumul ated on motor and mental handicaps, orthopaedic corrections, rehabilitation, measurements, etc. Less attention has, however, been paid to the perceptual deficits in children suffering from infantile encephalopathy, e.g. visual and hearing loss. It is likely that such deficits may have a negative effect on development. As these children are often also mentally retarded, perceptual deficits may be difficult to diagnose. Expanding the available knowledge on these deficits may facilitate their (early) diagnosis. Assessment of diagnosis enables adaption of developmental stimulation which may ultimate contribute to a higher developmental level. This study deals with the visual problems of children suffering from infantile encephalopathy. In particular, a study has been made of visual impairment due to dysfunction of the central visual system (from optic chiasm to striate cortex). The childneurological aspects of this handicap were investigated in detail in coopera tion with Prof. Dr. J. Willemse (Department of Childneurology, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands), resulting in an identifiable clinical picture. The application of neuro-imaging techniques (computer tomography, mag netic resonance imaging) enables the assessment of characteristic morphological abnormalities of the central visual system.

The diagnosis and treatment of children suffering from infantile encephalopathy is part of daily childneurological practice. Over the past years, a considerable amount of knowledge has been accumul ated on motor and mental handicaps, orthopaedic corrections, rehabilitation, measurements, etc. Less attention has, however, been paid to the perceptual deficits in children suffering from infantile encephalopathy, e.g. visual and hearing loss. It is likely that such deficits may have a negative effect on development. As these children are often also mentally retarded, perceptual deficits may be difficult to diagnose. Expanding the available knowledge on these deficits may facilitate their (early) diagnosis. Assessment of diagnosis enables adaption of developmental stimulation which may ultimate contribute to a higher developmental level. This study deals with the visual problems of children suffering from infantile encephalopathy. In particular, a study has been made of visual impairment due to dysfunction of the central visual system (from optic chiasm to striate cortex). The childneurological aspects of this handicap were investigated in detail in coopera tion with Prof. Dr. J. Willemse (Department of Childneurology, University Hospital Utrecht, The Netherlands), resulting in an identifiable clinical picture. The application of neuro-imaging techniques (computer tomography, mag netic resonance imaging) enables the assessment of characteristic morphological abnormalities of the central visual system.

Clinics in Developmental Medicine No.186 The increased awareness of cerebral visual impairment in children, combined with improved recognition of its wide ranging manifestations, has led to its recognition as the most common cause of visual impairment in children in the developed world. Yet the subject is in its infancy, with very little published to date. Information on this complex topic has been needed by all disciplines working with disabled children for many years. This ambitious book links the work of authors from many of the major research teams in this field, who have made significant contributions to the literature on the subject of cerebral visual impairment and provide a structured amalgam of the viewpoints of different specialists. The book contains some very novel concepts, which will be of great practical value to those who care for children with visual impairment due to brain injury. Summaries of the more specialist chapters as well as clear diagrams and a glossary have been provided to increase the book’s accessibility to a broader readership. This is an exciting and important field, to which this book makes a major contribution.

Cerebral visual disorders have far-reaching consequences for child development. These have profound adverse effects on children’s education and success in school and also in later life, but, unfortunately, cerebral visual disorders often remain undiagnosed and untreated in the pediatric population. This book provides a state-of-the-art account of what is known about the development and disorders of visual perception in children. It covers the development and disorders of visual perception in children, their assessment, early intervention and management in an interdisciplinary context, both from a scientific as well as clinical perspective. Case studies illustrate the recommended assessment and rehabilitation procedures; synopses, boxes and check-lists complement the presentation of our recommendations for clinical practice.

Cerebral visual impairment (also known as cortical visual impairment, or CVI) has become the most common cause of visual impairment in children in the United States and the developed world. Vision and the Brain is a unique and comprehensive sourcebook geared especially to professionals in the field of visual impairment, educators, and families who need to know more about the causes and types of CVI and the best practices for working with affected children. Expert contributors from many countries represent education, occupational therapy, orientation and mobility, ophthalmology, optometry, neuropsychology, psychology, and vision science, and include parents of children with CVI. The book provides an in-depth guide to current knowledge about brain-related vision loss in an accessible form to enable readers to recognize, understand, and assess the behavioral manifestations of damage to the visual brain and develop effective interventions based on identification of the spectrum of individual needs. Chapters are designed to help those working with children with CVI ascertain the nature and degree of visual impairment in each child, so that they can "see" and appreciate the world through the child's eyes and ensure that every child is served appropriately.