Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 27, 1995 TAG: 9505060005
SECTION: PARENT'S GUIDE PAGE: PG-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Claire English, the administrator for the program, said the program looks at the whole vision system: visual gathering, which is teaming and tracking abilities; visual cognitive processing skills; and output, which is how children use the information. This last ability can affect their fine motor skills, she said.
Binocularity, which is tracking and teaming skills, is the cause of some learning problems in children, she said.
"If light enters a healthy eye, the eye problems are resolved with corrective lenses,'' she explained. But with binocularity problems, the eye-gathering system is not functioning correctly. Not only does the eye have to see clearly, and for a long time, to read and for your brain to remember, but it has to be able to move smoothly over the page.
"What they find is that about 40 percent of children have some sort of visual problem. With some, it becomes a problem with their learning process, depending upon the severity of the problem,'' said English.
A parent or teacher can be aware of some warning signals, according to English. These encompass any number of the following symptoms, but English cautioned they are often seen in combination with each other (in other words, don't panic if your child exhibits one of these signals).
A child has trouble staying on track for a length of time - for instance, has a hard time completing homework.
A child is avoiding work because using the eyes can be problematic, tiring or painful.
Grades are fine at first, but slip in upper levels once material becomes more complex.
Poor eye-hand coordination and poor handwriting.
A child is slow at written work or has trouble copying work.
A child holds books close, or inclines his head to one side, or moves the head rather than eyes while reading.
"It's important to determine problems before a child has lost his eagerness to learn,'' said English. Their program, she explained, includes traditional orthoptic therapy, which is eye-strengthening exercises, but it's different, "because it doesn't use this therapy alone. We bring in the whole cognitive process,'' she said.
English said detection in the classroom or at home can be tough because children are so resourceful, and sometimes resourcefulness covers up the problem and children can develop bad habits. "It becomes a habit that won't work in the upper grades,'' she said.
Their therapies are progressive, and include commitments from parents. "We will not take any patients whose parents are not willing to work with the child. We need parents to agree to 30 minutes of therapy every day, for every day the child is not getting therapy,'' she said, adding that usually therapy is done three times a week.
The Visual Improvement Program, according to English, started in Southwest Virginia in February, 1994, but has its roots in Appleton, Wis., 10 years ago, when an optometrist specializing in children teamed up with his brother, a clinical psychologist specializing in children with Attention Deficit Disorder.
by CNB