Vision Therapy

Do you know a child who has difficulty with handwriting, reading, eye tracking, attention, performing visual tasks and spelling? With the information explosion regarding children and academic success, it is surprising that myths such as "20/20 distance acuity or sight is enough for academic success" still prevail. Eighty percent of academic learning is visual. Vision, like walking and talking, is a learned skill. A 20/20 acuity is one of over 29 vision skills that need to develop for children to reach their highest potential in school, sports, music and relationships.

Parent and teacher information about vision is still based on a partial test of vision called 20/20 distance acuity. It is thought that children will tell us if their eyes are not working. However, what a child sees, he/she considers normal. A child's behavior will often tell us how their visual skills are working. A short attention span, struggling in school (even though the child is bright), headaches, inconsistent performance, easily frustrated and poor penmanship are symptoms that are influenced by a lack of vision development. Thankfully, vision skills can be developed and diminish and/or solve these behaviors. Promoting vision development gives every child the opportunity to reach his/her potential and be successful in life.

In many schools and clinics, there are Occupational Therapists who specialize in vision training. Often something such as a slant board (see Abilitations catalog -click here to order a FREE copy) or proper positioning can enhance visual performance. Of course, having a proper evaluation is essential. For more information on vision therapy, go to:

The American Occupational Therapy Association
http://www.aota.org

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