ABSTRACT
It is now fully accepted that the most crucial period of a person's life is the early years, when the basis of all future development and progress is laid down. Although generalisations can be made about paths of development, each child's progress will be unique. In this chapter the effects of a visual impairment on early development are discussed and strategies are suggested which may be utilised by parents, carers and professionals to overcome possible delay. The particular aspects of social/emotional, motor, visual, tactual and language development will be discussed as will general issues such as encouraging initial moves to independence.
