Colour blindness

[3NAB]

I have been worried for a while that my youngest might be colour blind. When my MIL has him she has tried a couple of times to play games and talk about colours. I asked her today how he had been and she said she didn't think he could distinguish between the colours. She also said not to worry yet. I am probably over reacting (he is 2 3/4) but I remember when I felt my DD had a problem and no one else did. Unfortunately I was right.

MIL said he knows what we mean when we say colours and she did wonder if he was just being a pickle.

He's too young to judge.

For him to be colour-blind, you'd have to be a carrier - is your dad colour-blind? Or your mother's father?

I don't know my family history.

From the little I know, it doesn't seem to be a huge problem but obviously I would rather know.

He's probably just too young to want to talk about things like colours, but you could see if he can tell if things are the same or different - like putting all the red toys together. But even then he could still decide to be a pickle and have fun messing up your system!

He's quite young for diagnosis. And it isn't a huge problem - my DS1 is colour-blind, I diagnosed him when he was nearly 5. I still haven't bothered getting him formally diagnosed.

I'm worried DS2 may be colour blind too, but it doesn't make any difference.

How did you know for sure, NQC? Was it just because for his age he should have known them or was he mixing up blue and red/green? IIRC that is part of it.

I don't think there is anything that can be done, even if he is, is there? He is so in to his cars and pans that colours are probably not interesting enough for him!

Can he do jigsaws? My brother is colour blind and my mum said he never could do jigsaws! I was worried ds was too but luckily he seems to be fine, it's only in the last few months (he's just three) that he's been definite on his colours and he'll still say the wrong ones (on purpose) if you put him on the spot - funny though if you say, you can only eat the red smartie (for example) he's fine !

TBH we don't do a lot of jigsaws but he has done in the past with help from me. I will try not to worry. Thanks all.

I got him to do an online test, which he failed. About a month later, he showed me a two-colour crayon that was red/green and said 'look, it's the same colour on both ends!'.

It doesn't make much difference, and yeah, there's nothing you can do about it. I do warn teachers etc, so they know.

Can you remember the test or would you suggest I don't do it?

I was absolutely convinced that ds was colour blind, but he appears to have grown out of it. He seems fine now.

He's a bit younger than your ds though.

Here is one. I don't know if it will work on him, but it doesn't require him to know the names of the colours.

Thanks for that.

He has done a similar test at hospital where he can see pictures within another picture, which I can't see as I have a squint. He is asleep now so will get him to have a go later. Thanks.

Oh, how did he do at the tests at the hospital?

He doesn't have a squint and can see the pictures. I think they are similar to the magic eye books. They have no worries about him but won't discharge him until school. He has to have eye drops to have another test in October but tbh I don't think it is a big deal as they are happy with him so far.

If he can see the pictures, then he's fine, imo.

They're not really like magic eye pictures - I have problems with proper binocular vision sometimes, never get magic eye pics working, but do fine with these.

My DS has alway been funny with colours. He has been a fluent talker since 18mths and knows the vocab for every digger/tool/bit of machinary etc. Also has an amzing memory. However if you ask him what colour something is he usually just says a random colour or 'I don't know'. But then he will say, 'Mummy, I like your brown jacket', 'Look at Daddy's black shoes', 'Look 2 silver cars' and he's right, yet he doesn't seem to understand what you mean when you say, 'what colour is this duck?' etc.

I think it's very strange but like you say, I think colours are not significant enough to him for him to be too bothered!

He's just turned 3 by the way.

We just did the test - the first two cards and he was off to see his brother's new light! On that basis alone he is fine.

Thank you.