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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    How can my child's teacher help him in school?

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    Albinism Congenital & Genetic Conditions
    My 8 year old son with albinism is beginning to notice the differences between his skin/hair color and his classmates. I want him to adopt high confidence and self-esteem at an early age to prevent him from encountering emotional difficulties later on. How can his teacher help?
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    Albinism Fellowship of Australia

    The Albinism Fellowship of Australia (AFA) is a national, non-profit organization established in 2005. The AFA is a registered charity. The fellowship is run by … View Profile

    Depending on the vision of your child, they may be entitled to additional support from a visiting teacher. The class teacher can assist by considering seating and light in the classroom (making sure the child is seated with back to windows).

    Enlarging material can help. Children may also use audio recordings of longer texts. 

    Use of high tech equipment (eg Closed circuit televisions) and low tech equipment (eg monoculars and magnifying glasses) can help.Use of laptops and tablet devices is very helpful for children with albinism to access resources within the classroom. Children with albinism will often be entitled to additional time for examinations, and enlarged papers. 

    It is also very important for the child not to be made to feel too singled out or treated differently from his / her peers, as this can add to the psychosocial stress of appearing different and having vision impairment. Classroom modifications should be sensitively implemented and discussed with the child with albinism and their parents. 

    This link from our colleagues in NOAH in the US offers additional resources and ideas: 
    http://www.albinism.org/faq/students.html

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