Recognizing CVI in Your School-Based OT Practice

Many school-based occupational therapists are working with students who have cortical visual impairment (CVI) but don't recognize it. Unlike ocular visual impairments, CVI is a brain-based processing issue that affects functional vision in ways that fluctuate with environment, fatigue, and sensory complexity. In this episode, Lauren Andelin, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and assistive technology clinician at Children's Hospital, explains what CVI looks like in school settings and why it matters for OT practice.

This episode is for school-based OT practitioners who may be working with students with CVI without fully recognizing the signs, or who want practical strategies to support functional vision in the classroom. Lauren explains the difference between ocular and cortical visual impairments, shares the key behavioral signs to watch for, and offers immediately useful strategies like using preferred colors, managing visual complexity, and understanding visual fatigue.

Whether you suspect a student on your caseload might have CVI or you want to better support students with known diagnoses, this episode will give you actionable strategies you can use starting tomorrow.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:

— Learners will describe why CVI is a brain-based visual processing difference and how environmental factors like clutter, lighting, fatigue, and sensory load can affect functional vision.

— Learners will identify common behavioral signs and red flags that may indicate CVI in school settings.

— Learners will recognize why CVI is often under-identified and misunderstood in schools.

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