Developmental journal for babies and young children

When you are in touch with your QTVI, ask them whether they consider it appropriate (it may not be depending on your child’s sight) for you to complete The Early Years Developmental Journal (DJVI) for children with a visual impairment.

The DJVI is an early childhood intervention programme for babies and young children with severe visual impairment. It was developed by clinicians and clinical researchers from the Developmental Vision Programme at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health (main authors Dr Alison Salt and Dr Naomi Dale). In 2005 it was commissioned by the English central government to be disseminated as the national early intervention framework for children with visual impairment and their families.

The DJVI is a systematic framework tracking developmental and vision progress from birth to three years of age (or equivalent developmental age).

It aims to:

  • help parents and practitioners track and understand the child’s achievements, progress and development
  • support goal setting and guidance to promote vision and general development
  • support interdisciplinary and interagency working
  • support information sharing between parents and the practitioners they meet
  • identify areas of difficulty early where more help would be useful.