Children who are blind or who have a visual impairment CAN absolutely benefit from DMI.. With the absence of visual information, children will rely on other senses such as their auditory, vestibular, propriceptive and tactile systems in order to perform tasks. This is why DMI is so great for children with visual impairments. DMI bombards the body with variable sensory stimulation, giving their body the information needed to know where they are in space and how to navigate their environment. The last few weeks I had the privilege of working with this super sweet 7 year old girl Olivia, who was born without eyes and is also very hypotonic. At this time she is unable to stand or walk independently. When working with her I chose specific exercises that would provide her with a variety of sensory information to help her know where her body is in space.. 1. When sliding her up and down ramps and moving her through space we are stimulating the vestibular and proprioceptive systems and exposing her to gravitational forces, giving her the opportunity to create a stabilty response, and improving her postural control and balance. You can see when sliding up hill she is also really having to activate her abdominals. 🥰💪🏼 2.I have her stand on very narrow surfaces which provides her with loads of proprioceptive information through the bottom of her feet, giving her joint awareness and telling her where her body is in space/creating stability. 3.She is utilizing her tactile system to feel where the boxes are with her feet allowing her to step in and over obstacles.. 4.We are also utilizing the auditory system throughout the sessions. I will often knock on the boxes or hit the floor with my hand so that she can hear where the obstacles are. I also provide her with direct verbal cues when needed. Olivia crushed her 2 week intensive and made great improvements in her balance!🥰🥰 #dmi #dmitherapy #blind #therapyfortheblind #intensivetherapy #ontheflydmi #sensorysystems #dmiintensives #pediatricOT #pediatrictherapy