Sylvia:
My 5 year old is colorblind. He really only sees blue and yellow clearly. I was heartbroken this weekend when we got the official diagnosis. Knowing he will never see the full beauty of a sunset, birds, Christmas colors. I want to do everything I can to make things more enjoyable for him.
Linda:
My son has just been diagnosed as being red-green colorblind. He’s at school and is five. So far, we’ve only discussed that “sometimes he sees some colors differently” but he’s increasingly getting aware that this happens a lot. Have you any suggestions as to what an age-appropriate explanation might be for him? I don’t want him to feel lacking in some way or scared, but I think it would help him cope more if he had some kind of understanding of what to expect. I’d be very grateful for any suggestions you could give.
Dean:
I've been searching for decent online resources but I haven't found much and I was hoping someone here could point me in the right direction. Any information would be much appreciated.
How do I explain this to him?
How do I understand how he sees the world? (I can't seem to get my head around this.)
Should I make any changes around the house?
Should I point him in any direction/away from some activities?
Does he need any visual aids?
What kind of doctor should I take him to?
Many Parents Contact Us With A Similar Story, So If Your Child Is Colorblind, Read On….!
Before I get into the details I would like to say a few words about color blindness itself. In each school class, there is on average one colorblind child. Red-green color blindness is the most common form while the terminology is misleading. Every normal colorblind person has a very colorful visual spectrum—just a bit less colorful.
Mostly it affects the male population. Because of the inheritance pattern of color blindness, males are by far more often colorblind.
Listen To Who And Do What?
I saw many responses to these types of questions and let's review some of them together:
As a colorblind person, I'd suggest not avoid red or green. Give your child as many colors as YOU like, he will perceive them in his/her way. Your child might find a favorite color besides yellow or blue...
Please don’t make this a sad thing- he/she can see many colors in sunsets and rainbows, just sees them differently.
Nothing to be heartbroken about. I'm a red-green CD and I wasn't diagnosed till I was 13. Never been a huge issue, usually, I just ask for it if I don't know the color or can see/find one I'm looking for.
Don’t stress out. Your child doesn’t know what's missing unless someone tells him. Seeing the world differently can be a gift.
If you can afford it, I highly recommend the colorblind glasses.
"Hello. I am completely colorblind- I see no colors at all. I don't know any different and I am used to it. A sunrise or sunset is nothing special to me at all, but I don't feel sad about it. I appreciate the shapes and smells of flowers."
Tell his teachers when he goes to school. Most things in pre-school/early elementary are color-coded (ex: count the green triangles). Also, make sure to never peel the labels off of the crayons.
If Your Child Is Colorblind Download This Step-By-Step Guide for Parents. K-12
Maybe you agree with some of the points above or maybe not. The question is, what advice sounds right for you because they all can have a long-term effect on your child's life.
For the most part, I'd say don't make a big deal of it. It's very important to know how to react to color deficiency.
Learn more about color blindness (color deficiency) and learn how your child sees the world. There are some games and activities you can do together at home.
Definitely let his/her teachers know when at school, and if your kid picks out clothes that clash let them know that they don't go well together.
Try to get in the habit of describing things by shape and/or location, instead of color: "Hey, look at that big truck over there" instead of "Hey, look at that red truck over there". Chances are he'd notice major changes in how you act more than he'll notice occasionally getting a color wrong.
and so much more...
What Do You Need?
Colorblind children can only rely on the support of their parents to learn about colors. If your child is colorblind, you need to learn more about color deficiency and get the best advice to help your child in this journey.
The good news is, ColorWill company that had earlier created online courses and training for colorblind adults and artists, recently started to work on a project to help parents with colorblind children.
The course will be divided into 3 - sections:
1. What do parents need to know?
This section will include all the necessary information for parents. As a parent, you need to learn the right information to be able to understand your child's condition to be able to give the best support to your child. In this section, you can watch several videos to understand what is color deficiency by seeing examples and learning step by step how to help your child.
Table of Contents
Impact of Color Blindness
What to do first?
Informative Videos About Colors
See From The Eyes Of A Colorblind
Types Of Color Blindness
How To Share The News?
Do And Don't As A Parent
25 Actions To Help Your Child
Action Step - Game-training
2. Education materials and videos for children
This section includes fun & engaging videos for children. We created a new method of learning colors to help colorblind children from an early age. Through our animated videos with songs, children will learn how to build associations for colors with objects that have them.
The most important part of this section is that there is a video that explains color blindness to kids by bringing some of the examples of people that have supervision, and explains color blindness as an unique vision rather than a disability. You can even encourage your child’s teacher to show this video in class, helping your child and his classmates understand this unique condition the right way.
Table of Contents
Education For Children
Color blindness Explained for Children
Primary & Secondary Colors Musical Videos
Color Of Things
Draw With Me
3. Tips for Teachers/or Schools with Colorblind Student
In this section, we share valuable tips & advice for teachers to provide the best learning practice to colorblind students' at kindergartens and schools.
