Parents and teachers of children in special education settings value in-school eyecare and written reports of visual status

It is well established that children with developmental disability are at an increased risk of developing visual problems compared to their typically developing peers.1-4 Despite the increased risk of visual deficits, this vulnerable group of children are often reported as having poor history of eyecare.5 This finding indicates that barriers exist for children accessing eyecare services. Such barriers experienced by parents of children with developmental disability attending other healthcare appointments include parental concern regarding the child’s ability to cooperate with testing procedures, fear of behavioural difficulties as a consequence of waiting times at appointments and difficulty accessing clinic appointments if the child has a physical disability.6-9