Vision and Learning
Vision is more than just clear eyesight – that is just the tip of the iceberg! In order to really ‘see’ something, you have to be able to THINK about it in the right way! What is it? What category does it belong? What is associated with it? There are so many connections the brain has to make, and these connections are called VISUAL INFORMATION PROCESSING.
Symptoms of Visual Information Processing problems include:
- Smart at everything but school
- Struggling reader: slow speed and/or poor comprehension
- Difficulty with memory
- Poor spelling
- Difficulty organizing information
- Often assignments are unfinished or incomplete
- Writing is difficult to read and understand
Each child is unique, and there may be many reasons that a child struggles with learning. What we do through vision therapy is remove the road blocks that have a visual cause and help the individual perform at his or her potential! Similar to tutoring, we are giving the individual the building blocks and strategies that they need to process visual information. Since 80% of learning is visual, these skills are critical to their success!
Vision and Dyslexia
Dyslexia comes in many different forms, and no two dyslexic individuals are alike. Dyslexia is also called ‘specific reading disability‘, and may be characterized one or any of the following:
- a deficit in processing word sounds
- poor spelling
- reversal of letters
- difficulty with sequencing, comprehension of language or expression of language
Dyslexia can only be diagnosed by special testing with licensed psychologist. The difference between the individual’s potential and performance is how learning disabilities are diagnosed. For instance, if Johnny is very bright verbally and has a good vocabulary, he has a high potential. But when it comes time to read a paragraph and answer questions, he struggles and gives a low performance.
It is very important to have vision evaluated by a developmental optometrist when learning problems are suspected to rule out any vision problems. Vision Problems can significantly interfere with testing for dyslexia and learning disabilities, because the individual will always struggle when it comes to visually related tasks. Treating the vision problems first will allow the individual to perform at his or her potential and make learning much less frustrating!
Vision and ADD/ADHD
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are being diagnosed with increasing frequency. The diagnosis is made by a careful checklist of symptoms, often filled out by parents and teachers. The symptoms of ADD/ADHD so closely match the symptoms of a vision problem, it is not uncommon for children with vision problems to be mis-diagnosed as having ADD/ADHD!
Before labeling a child as having ADD or ADHD, it is wise to have a developmental vision evaluation to rule out vision problems. Sometimes we find out these children have significantly fluctuating and blurry vision, or significant eye teaming problems that result in double vision! It is no wonder they avoid their school work and seek distraction.
Check the vision symptom checklist to see if you may have a vision problem!
Read more about vision and learning
More information on ADD and ADHD