Help your toddler to talk

March 10, 2023

Your blind or partially sighted child may find it harder to see what’s going on around them. This may mean they are less motivated to communicate, so it may take your toddler a bit longer to learn to talk.

You’re probably already doing lots of things that can help them with language development. Things to try include:

tell them stories and sing nursery rhymes and songs
always use their name to show you’re talking to them
reduce background noise to make it easier for them to hear
give them time to answer
name things they touch when they are touching them, for example, when they are holding a ball say ‘ball’
talk about things you’re doing together
use the same phrases, for example, always say ‘cup’ rather than sometimes saying ‘beaker’
use ‘Mummy’ and ‘Daddy’ and people’s names rather than ‘he’ and ‘she’
explain how things work and where things belong

If you feel your toddler is having problems talking you can ask your health visitor for advice, or your child’s QTVI if they have one.

RSBC’s Family Support Service can help you with:

practical advice about your child’s development
support when you feel overwhelmed
understanding your child’s vision impairment better
living as a family and being supportive of each other

Call 0203 1980225 or email connections@rsbc.org.uk

We’re proud to have so many, dedicated, passionate and skilled volunteers who make an incredible contribution to RSBC. They’re vital to the work we do, and without them we couldn’t deliver the breadth of services we currently provide. From helping out at events and trips to supporting us in our day-to-day operations, they help our […]

No categories May 23, 2025

Elodie and Belle’s Story

Jessica and Tim have built a loving home in Kent, where they’re raising their two daughters, Belle, 6, and Elodie, 2. Their journey as parents has been filled with joy, but it’s also brought unexpected challenges – particularly when Elodie was born with a severe vision impairment. Despite the uncertainty and emotional toll, Elodie has […]

A young woman sitting with a knitted blanket covering her legs and a grey laptop on her lap. Only half of her face is showing in the photograph, and she has dark ginger hair and a lip piercing on her bottom lip. She’s wearing a light blue denim jacket and a light blue roll-neck top. The blanket has yellow, pink, white, and orange patterned squares.

No categories May 15, 2025

National Children’s Day: why it can be harder for VI children to flourish

Sunday 18th May is a day dedicated to children. National Children’s Day – 24 hours of celebration – is focused on the importance of a healthy childhood, and protecting the rights and freedoms of young people so that they can thrive.

Dr Ton Pay and Celso Zuccollo are smiling and standing close together outside the entrance to the Cannon Street Underground Station in London.

No categories May 14, 2025

A life without limits: my journey back to RSBC

Dr Tom Pey, Honorary President of RSBC, is the founder of Waymap, the world’s most accurate indoor and outdoor navigation system. This Global Accessibility Day, he talks about his long standing relationship with our charity, and how with Waymap’s step-based location technology he plans to make every city in the world more accessible.

A photograph of Nathan standing in a field holding his son, Alfie with his right arm after completing a running challenge. Nathan is wearing a Nike running vest. Alfie is wearing sunglasses, a white top, hoodie and blue trousers.

No categories May 8, 2025

Nathan’s story: running for Alfie

Nathan’s taking on three running challenges to fundraise for RSBC – the Tatton 10k, the Manchester Half Marathon, and the Chester Marathon. Nathan and his wife, Jessica, have a son, Alfie, who was born with albinism. It’s a genetic condition which causes a lack of pigment and, like many people with albinism, Alfie has difficulties […]

No categories April 30, 2025

A marathon to remember!

The London Marathon 2025 saw 56,000 runners take to the streets of London to challenge themselves and raise money for a huge range of good causes. And amongst the thousands who took part were 68 athletes who were supporting RSBC.

A light-skinned women with light brown hair wearing red glasses. She is standing in front of a low brick wall with fields in the background whilst smiling with her thumbs up. Hannah is wearing an RSBC orange running vest, black top and black shorts with a waist water holder.

No categories April 22, 2025

Running for Sharn and Maya

With the London Marathon fast approaching, we spoke to runner Hannah to find out why she wanted to raise funds for RSBC.

Nick, a light-skinned man who's a London Marathon fundraiser for RSBC taking a selfie. He's smiling at the camera wearing a long-sleeved blue top, a black sleeveless running jacket over the top and a black cap.

No categories April 14, 2025

Nick’s path to the London Marathon

This April, Nick will be running the London Marathon for RSBC. We sat down with him to find out why he wanted to run for us, and learn a little bit more about his journey so far.

A light-skinned mother and father, Abbie and Lewis, holding their young boy, Albie. They are all smiling brightly. Abbie is wearing a black and white dress, Lewis, a white shirt with black spots on it and Albie a blue shirt with cream dungarees.

No categories April 9, 2025

Running for Albie

Albie was born with severe sight impairment, having been diagnosed when he was 4 months old. His mum and dad, Abbie and Lewis, are both running the 2025 London Marathon to raise funds for RSBC – the first time that two parents of a child supported by the charity have run together at this famous […]

Julie, a light skinned woman with long brown hair sits at a desk with her hands folded in front of her. There are wooden shelves in the background. She is smiling broadly and wearing a metallic bronze coloured top.

No categories March 28, 2025

Mother’s Day: our CEO shares her story

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone celebrating! In recognition of this special day, we sat down with our CEO, Julie, to hear about her relationship with her daughter, Saime, who is registered blind.

Latest Get our help