| Colour blindness...
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How is the diagnosis made?
The diagnosis will be made by an eye specialist. The affected child may not be
able to perform the screening tests, but the presence of nystagmus, light
sensitivity and reduced vision will provide clues to the diagnosis. Commonly
performed test in the clinic is Ishihara pseudoisochromatic test.
How can teachers help if a child has a colour deficiency?
a. Label a picture with words or symbols when the response requires colour
recognition. Label colouring utensils (crayons, colour pencils, and pens) with
the name of the colour red.
b. Use white chalk, not colour chalk, on the board to maximize contrast. Avoid
yellow, orange, or light tan chalk on green chalkboards.
c. Xerox parts of textbooks or any instructional materials printed with colour
ink. Black print on red or green paper is not safe. It may appear as black on
black to some colour deficient students.
d. Assign a classmate to help colour deficient students when assignments require
colour recognition. Example - colour coding different countries on a world map.
e. Teach colour deficient students the colour of common objects. Knowing what
color things are
f. Try teaching children "all" the colours. Remember, most colour deficient
children can identify pure primary colours. It is normally just different shades
or tints that give them problems. If they can not learn certain colours, let
them know you understand some colours look the same to them and it is "OK".
g. Make sure a child's colour vision has been tested before they have to learn
their colours or colour-enhanced instructional materials are used.
Colour Vision |
Introduction to colour blindness | More on
colour blindness |