| It is proved that vision therapy is an effective | | | | words and spelling, giving them a large vocabulary to |
| treatment to solve vision development problems in | | | | help them to read. Directionality helps children with |
| grade school children. As a Behavioral Optometrist I | | | | learning disabilities overcome reversals, writing letters |
| have worked with vision therapy and children with | | | | back to front. Cross Patterning allows children to use |
| learning disabilities for over 20 years, and I have seen | | | | both sides of their brain efficiently. |
| the effectiveness of the right techniques almost every | | | | It has a huge impact on children who display learning |
| day. But I am often asked whether vision therapy is | | | | disabilities. As for younger kids and preschoolers who |
| effective for preschool children. | | | | may or may not be showing signs of deficiency, vision |
| Vision therapy is a very effective tool to develop | | | | therapy is a highly effective tool in developing the |
| visual skills. It is far more about what we Optometrists | | | | visual skills that child may need to catch up and move |
| are measuring rather than the child's actual | | | | ahead. It works because these skills, which should be |
| performance, compared with the tedious and boring | | | | developing in children through this period, sometimes |
| traditional eye exercises purely designed to increase | | | | are not developed or underdeveloped. If we can |
| eye coordination and focus skills. | | | | develop them quickly and effectively, the child will |
| Time and effort should be invested into developing | | | | improve significantly. When it comes to normal children, |
| visual skills in vision therapy to help children overcome | | | | vision therapy can accelerate their performance and |
| learning disabilities. It's not just about the eyes but | | | | thereby increase the learning ability. |
| developing real skills developed by vision therapy, | | | | What we need to do is tailor our program to suit the |
| including eye movements, focus and eye coordination, | | | | preschool or kindergarten level. That's why I have |
| visualization and recall, directionality, cross patterning | | | | produced a home based on vision therapy program |
| and other developmental areas like coding, sequencing, | | | | just for preschoolers, and it works very effectively in |
| fine and gross motor, etc. Eye movements help | | | | making struggling preschoolers far better, and |
| children flow in their reading and stop misreading | | | | preschoolers who were performing good, rise to be |
| words or skipping lines, as well as ball sports. Focus | | | | even better. It is achieved by training the specific areas |
| and eye coordination helps children concentrate and | | | | which really matter in children and their visual |
| apply themselves to their school work. Visualization | | | | development. |
| and recall helps children to effectively remember sight | | | | |