Did you know that as many as 8% of men and 0.5% percent of women experience some form of color blindness? Having colorblind child can be quite challenging for a parent. It is not the most seamless of parental journeys. For the parent, the rigors stretch through the psychological dimension to the physical stress of helping your child that sees the world through their own eyes.
For the young child, it takes time to learn the initial ropes of life, especially when naming colors. This might prove difficult, as your child may struggle to let go of their convictions with regard to their perception of what colors actually are to them. When you have a colorblind child, this presents additional challenges. But as the parent, you can make the whole process easier for your child. In this article, we will be looking at some tips that can use to help your child if he/she is colorblind.
Step #1: Inform those around your child that he/she is colorblind
This doesn’t mean you are picking out your kid for specific criticism or begging for cheap sympathy. No, it would actually help if those around your kids to be aware of their colorblind condition. Aside from teachers, which we’ll get to in a moment, make sure to let people like coaches and the parents of other children know of your child’s color blindness. They will be able to adjust the language they use to make room for alternate perceptions. Your kid may struggle to tell the difference between colors but when those around him don’t necessarily make a fuss about it, your child will struggle less.
No exercises or exams that have to do with color identification
It is natural that kids tend to source their happiness from their academic performances and/or how impressive they are for their teachers or parents. Thus, when your kid performs badly in class, he/she is going to face the mental brunt through academic esteem issues. Worse still is if he/she performs badly through not fault of their own with a challenge like color blindness. Because of this it would be helpful if you could let his/her teachers know about his condition so that they can make sure to be conscious of the issue.
Be cautious of teaching your kids colors
Of course, we don’t argue the fact that you are a loving parent who would want to teach your child colors. But be cautious if your child is colorblind. Your child has to see the world from his/her own perception. Your child must appreciate colors through their eyes, which adds confidence that what they make of the world around them is their own.
Find out if others in your child’s social circle are color blind
Certainly it is very possible that your child may experience some prejudice with regard to his/her colorblindness. But there are always other birds in your child’s particular flock, so finding out who else in your child’s circle who are also colorblind is a good idea. This clearly helps your child identify that he/she is not the only one who is colorblind. And make sure that it’s not just other children, try to find find out if other adults in your child’s circle might also be colorblind. Again, this could include teachers, coaches or parents of other children. This normalizes color blindness to a degree that it becomes a non-issue.
In the end, having a colorblind child is not a significant challenge in life. It simply represents a learning opportunity. It can be embraced and welcomed into your child’s life as a way to actually increase esteem and self-confidence if approached properly. The above points are a simple start to the conversation. So make it a fun experience and see how your child will learn to see the world through a perspective that is all their own.
