A Systematic Review of the Literature on Parenting of Young Children with Visual Impairments and the Adaptions for Video-Feedback Intervention to Promote Positive Parenting (VIPP)

Abstract

Secure parent-child attachment may help children to overcome the challenges of growing up with a visual or visual-and-intellectual impairment. A large literature exists that provides a blueprint for interventions that promote parental sensitivity and secure attachment. The Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting (VIPP) is based on that blueprint. While it has been adapted to several specific at risk populations, children with visual impairment may require additional adjustments. This study aimed to identify the themes that should be addressed in adapting VIPP and similar interventions. A Delphi-consultation was conducted with 13 professionals in the field of visual impairment to select the themes for relationship-focused intervention. These themes informed a systematic literature search. Interaction, intersubjectivity, joint attention, exploration, play and specific behavior were the themes mentioned in the Delphi-group. Paired with visual impairment or vision disorders, infants or young children (and their parents) the search yielded 74 articles, making the six themes for intervention adaptation more specific and concrete. The rich literature on six visual impairment specific themes was dominated by the themes interaction, intersubjectivity, and joint attention. These themes need to be addressed in adapting intervention programs developed for other populations, such as VIPP which currently focuses on higher order constructs of sensitivity and attachment.

The efficacy of VIPP-V parenting training for parents of young children with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability: a randomized controlled trial

“…(1) exploration versus attachment behavior, (2) "speaking for the child," (3) "sensitivity chain," and (4) sharing emotions, followed by two booster sessions, yet individualized to each specific parent-child dyad. Adaptations to the intervention were made in close collaboration with professionals from Royal Dutch Visio and Bartiméus and based on knowledge of behavior patterns of young children with visual or visual-and-intellectual disabilities, clinical experience, and knowledge of attachment-based interventions (Van Den Broek et al, 2017). Elements of VIPP-SD (sensitive discipline; Van Zeijl et al, 2006) and Video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting for children with autism (VIPP-AUTI; Poslawsky et al, 2014) were used to make this new intervention applicable for use in families with a young child with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability.…”

“…Elements of VIPP-SD (sensitive discipline; Van Zeijl et al, 2006) and Video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting for children with autism (VIPP-AUTI; Poslawsky et al, 2014) were used to make this new intervention applicable for use in families with a young child with a visual or visual-and-intellectual disability. Particular attention was devoted to increasing (safe) exploration, joint attention, and parent's abilities to recognize and understand the signals and emotions of their child (Van Den Broek et al, 2017). VIPP-V consists of seven 1.5-h sessions.…”

“…In Table 2, the themes per session are described. The first five sessions are similar to the original VIPP themes, with an added component each session addressing specific skills which (parents of) children with visual or visual-and-intellectual disabilities often experience difficulties with (see Van Den Broek et al, 2017). These added components are: predictability, safety, independence, making demands of the child, dealing with changes and frustration, sharing of attention, joint attention, recognizing and naming emotions, and empathy and induction (see Table 2).…”

“…To meet the specific needs of parents of young children with visual or visual-andintellectual disabilities, "Video-feedback Intervention to promote Positive Parenting in parents of children with Visual or visual-and-intellectual disabilities" (Video-feedback Intervention to promote positive parenting-visual [VIPP-V]) has been developed. VIPP has been adapted particularly for these parents based on reported clinical expertise within a Delphi group and a recent systematic review examining the necessary additional themes (Van Den Broek et al, 2017). As these sources stressed the importance of including a focus on interaction, intersubjectivity, and joint attention, these themes have been added to the intervention for parents of young children with visual or visual-andintellectual disabilities.…”

Heightened parental stress in mothers of children with visual impairment

“…One strategy previously described by the authors could be that mothers of children with visual impairment use more mentalizing language to stimulate social communicative skills and perspective taking. 3 Another question concerns the impact of intervention strategies to support parents in the process of learning to meet their child's needs (such as video-feedback interventions to promote positive parenting 4 and information supplied by health professionals). Finally, one wonders whether the results of the study are generalizable to fathers, who play an important role in the family system.…”