Is my son colourblind?

Question

My 4 yr old son, has no idea about colours, he is doing well in all other areas but not this one.

Answer 1

Test him.  

Have a wide variety of items of solid, primary colors (stick with red, blue, green and yellow for now).  Point to a red crayon and say "This is the color red".  Point to an apple and say "this is the color red."  Point to a blue crayon and say "this is the color blue."  If you do this for a while, comparing and contrasting items, so that he understands that red is red and blue is blue and green is green, it can help him to grasp the concept of what the colors actually are (definitions, not individual items).  Then sort the items by color, so that you have all your red things together, and all your blue things together, etc.  Bring out a new item, and ask him if he can tell what group the new item fits in with.  He should be able to see that the shade of the new item is the same as (or very similar to) the shade of the other stuff.

If he's unable to sort the item so that it goes with the ones it has the most in common with (like solid colors) he may be colorblind.

If he is, speak with his doctor about it.  From what I can tell, there isn't much you can do about it, except to let his teachers know (sorting colors is a major thing in preschool).  Intellectually, he should be able to eventually know that a tomato is red or a cucumber is green, but he will have to be taught those things, instead of going by his own sense of sight.  

As he grows older, he'll be more easily able to adapt by using good organization (sorting clothing, for example, so that he can make sure things go well together).  In driving, a colorblind friend of mine tells me he learned not to look for the colors, but for which light is lit up.  He knows which light is red, yellow or green by where it is, not by the actual color.  He also said that he doesn't necessarily see in black-and-white, he can recognise a few colors based on shade and how light or dark they are.  With him, some of the colors are difficult to distinguish, but not all of them.

Answer 2

At our school we have made colour flashcards - initially using only red yellow blue (add to them as he progresses)  we then play I spy but instead of saying 'something beginning with...' we say 'something the colour of blue'.  

We often have a selection of toys/cars etc of different colours on table and I would say find me the blue car (hold up blue card) As child progresses we dont always hold up the card  this allows us to check how they're doing.

Im not saying there isnt anything wrong with his eyes - I dont know, Im not sure if colour blindness would fit this problem, but some kids take longer for visual discrimination to develop.

Answer 3

Go and see your eyes doctor, he can help you in that area. They have tests with colored bubbles that make a letter. If you can't see the letter, you're colorblind.

Answer 4

By chance is the father or grandfather colorblind?  If so, your son could very likely be colorblind.  Colorblindness predominantly occurs in males.  Colorblindness is caused by a defect of the X chromosone.  Since males only have one X chromosone (and one Y) and females have two X chromosomes, males are much more likely to be colorblind.  This is a trait that is genetic.

Also, does your son have a tendancy to confuse the same colors with consistency?  Does he always mix up brown and green,  or purple and blue, for example?  If so, this may be a clue for you.

If he is having difficulty with ALL of his colors, he may not have the concept down yet.  Remember that all kids learn differently and at their own rate.  It is extremely rare for a person to be totally colorblind and not see any color at all.

I would give it a little more time and continue to work on his colors with him by relating them to his environment.  (What color is that ball you are playing with?    What kind of popsicle do you want?)  Help him to learn them by making it relevant to him.

If he still shows signs of problems in a year, have him tested and then provide resources to his teachers about colorblindness and the affects on children in their surroundings.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

Quite possibly.  One male in 30 is red green colour blind.

You can find some charts at http://www.kcl.ac.uk/teares/gktvc/vc/lt/...

Answer 6

show your son defent coloured cards and ask what is this colour and stufe

Answer 7

Get him a  multicolored card or piece of paper that has similar shades on it and ask him to identify the different colors.

Answer 8

maybe he is but you should be thankful that your son is just color- blind..there are people whose kids are worst then yours..

Answer 9

show him a bunch of items that are the same color everyday and tell him thats the color and then the next day show him a new item of the same color and see if he knows it and it that still doesnt work keep trying the same color for a week and then he'll remember the color and go on to a new color

if that still doesnt work then he can possibly be colorblind

Answer 10

You know paint program, do you?

There is a link which shows you all possible colours.

Show him that.

Answer 11

If he does not know them then hold a color up and ask him to fins something that looks the same in the room, and see if he can match up the colors, or use colored blocks.

You should also start working with him every day on recognizing colors. The color blind test uses numbers in colors shaded differently, so he would need to know his colors and numbers before they could tell for sure. My daughter sees a Pediatric Ophthalmologist and that is what they told me. She did know her colors but had a hard time with black and brown, but knows them now. It just takes repetition with kids, it is not the amount of time spent but the daily repetition that helps them learn at that age.

Answer 12

Maybe your son has colourblind...To make sure if he has that kind of problem then bring him to an optomologist.... :)

Answer 13

Your son is only four years old. This is not an age to define color blindness. At this age your son is learning is colors, he may just be learning them a little slower than his class mates. If he is not in preschool how are you going about teaching him his colors? Hands on works the best. Show him a glass of milk, then show him cotton balls, then hand him a white shirt. See if he can find other white things in the house. Once he gets down white, then start with black, then green. These are the colors most color blind people can tell the difference of. Color blind is not seeing black in white is not being able to tell some colors from others.

Answer 14

I use m &m s to teach my kids colors. I start first by laying out one of each color and I point one at a time and say the color, then I give it to child and say you are eating the red m..... I do each color, then I ask them to tell me where the red one is.... then I move on and have them tell me the colors.

If this isn't working, see the eye doctor because it is possible to be colorblind.

Answer 15

Show him many different colors anytime and anywhere.. Also teach him the name of the color.  Hope that helps.

Answer 16

mayb he is not couler blind ask at home the couler oof somthing see what he says