CVI Home
What's New?
What is CVI?
Articles & Videos
Shared Stories
Sample Goals & Reports
Environmental Supports
Intervention Strategies
Presentations & Workshops
CVI Products
Advocacy & Resources
Research
Feature Presentation
APH Home
Contact Us
Visual development videos have been on the market for a number a years. By creating your own you can control the color choices, visual complexity, and the speed at which the objects change. If you have a personal computer and Internet access, you can do it.
Using a free screen saver provider, such as www.webshots.com, www.screensavers.com or www.etera.com you can download and customize a screen saver for your child or student. Imagine a large sunflower or a bright red poppy filling the entire screen. You could take your own photographs or use your own simple one- or two-color drawings and download them onto the computer. You can use a scanner or a digital camera. The key is that the photographs and drawings must be simple. 
If needed, use a neutral colored tri-fold board around the computer monitor to block out the complex environment surrounding the computer. Dimming the lights will also help the computer monitor appear more like a light box.
If the child does not orient to a yellow or orange object on the screen but is drawn back to the screen when a purple object appears, create a screen saver with all purple objects and try other purple objects off the computer. You determine the length of time each picture is presented by going to your Control Panel and then Display. Begin with a long viewing period and gradually shorten as needed.
Using selected photographs as the background/wallpaper on the computer, you may be able to teach the child to press the appropriate keys (Ctrl +Shift = W) to change to the next picture when he or she chooses. (This only works with www.webshots.com on PCs, not Macs.) If the child needs a longer than normal viewing time, it is best to turn off the screen saver feature when working with the background/wallpaper. Gradually add objects that have two colors; building complexity but keeping the preferred color dominant until it is no longer necessary.
If you wish to invest in more sophisticated screen saver software than what is available for free on the Internet, several choices are described at www.make-your-own-screen-saver.com
Below are samples of three computer screen saver images using simple line illustrations from APH's Light Box Level II. You can also try using the Visual Acuity Cards included in ISAVE.
The following is a sample of three computer screen saver images that build complexity with a second color.
This sample of four computer screen saver images builds complexity with several colors and introduces a face.
Below, on the left, a possible keyboard adaptation is shown for teaching a child to change the computer background/wallpaper on a PC using Webshots. The black paper simplifies the visual environment. If needed, yellow foam paper can be adhered to the keys for greater contrast, as shown on the right.
If you tried this, please let us know how it worked for your child/student. cvi@aph.org