Page 7 - SEN106 SEN Magazine May-June 2020

follow us on twitter.com/senmagazine join us on facebook.com/senmagazine A computer game which has been shown to improve functional vision in children with partial visual field loss, is now fully compatible with mobile devices. Eyelander was developed by the University of Lincoln together with the WESC Foundation (a specialist charity supporting young people with visual impairment) and is a “gamified” version of eye movement training programmes originally developed to help adults experiencing problems with vision after suffering a stroke. A published clinical research trial has shown that the game delivers measurable improvements in functional vision for children with loss of sight on one side (a condition known as hemianopia). The game was professionally developed by Mutant Labs from a prototype developed by the research team. It is free to play and is designed to be colourful, fun and engaging for children. Players search for shapes on the screen which help their character to escape from a mysterious island. It can now be played on both mobile phones and tablets for the first time. Lead researcher at the University of Lincoln, Prof. Tim Hodgson said: “We’ve been taking a step by step approach to making the game more widely available as we build the evidence base for its effectiveness, but we decided now was the time to make it more widely available for tablets and phones. It actually makes the game more fun to play using a touch screen rather than a mouse and cursor so we’re really pleased with the results”. The game is freely available at www.eyelander.co.uk Crownbridge School in Torfaen is the first special school in Wales to receive a ‘Trauma and Mental Health Informed School Award’ for its commitment to pupil and staff mental health. The award was presented by not-for-profit The Centre for Child Mental Health (CCMH) and Trauma Informed Schools UK (TIS UK), providers of trauma and mental health training for teachers and education staff across the UK. Crownbridge supports children and young people with severe learning difficulties and highly complex needs who have been previously let down by the education system through a variety of initiatives including a pet therapy dog and rabbits, garden spaces in which children can learn, hydrotherapy, music therapy, horse riding and other outdoor activities. Headteacher Lesley Bush said, “We have transformed our school’s culture and reduced incidents of disruption, conflict and internal exclusions. It is a key strategy for facilitating school improvement and has been at the forefront of our work in terms of behaviour and wellbeing. Receiving this award continues to validate our approach and we are extremely proud to be recognised as a Trauma and Mental Health Informed School.” Computer Game for Visually-Impaired Children Goes Mobile Welsh school commended for approach to Trauma and Mental Health senmagazine.co.uk SEN 106 7 SEN news