Close your eyes. Extend your arm away from the trunk of your body. With eyes still closed, touch the tip of your nose with the tip of your pinkie finger.
Now...imagine what it would be like if YOU looked at a straight line...and YOU saw it as a squiggly line.
How long would you concentrate on a reading passage where the letters appear to be crawling around, or jumping on the page as though they are ants moving in ever-changing patterns?
Would you enjoy reading if each of your eyes fixated on different points causing you to see double? How long would you be able to focus on the page before you needed relief?
What if your undetected vision problems created restlessness in you? Or...created frustration in you strong enough to create disturbances...and you were accused of bad behavior?
Would you stick with a task where the letters of 3- and 4-letter words changed position each time you saw them? And...you felt you had to learn every combination of those letters in hopes of guessing correctly the next time you saw each word? All that extra work saps your energy for learning!
What if you had excellent -- even outstanding -- verbal skills, or speaking ability, but you had trouble remembering what each letter and number looked like?
What if the words ran together...were blurry...the lines appearing to move...the letters looking funny...and the white spaces dancing around on the page? Would you find reading easy?
Would you enjoy the struggle?Wouldn't you dread reading?
What would happen to your self-esteem...your self-confidence?
Would you be a happy child?
What would your stress level be?
How would you feel if you couldn't copy the work to be done...completely...and your classmates could...because you couldn't see the chalkboard?
What if you lost your place when reading ... skipped lines ... reversed b's and d's and m's and w's ... couldn't spell ... were clumsy ... bumped into everything and everyone ... and complained of headaches? Would you be a desirable playmate?
Wouldn't you HATE reading? Wouldn't you bargain to reduce the time spent on reading? Wouldn't you beg for a reduction in the amount of reading you had to do?
What if the answer to those problems were recommendations for medication or special needs testing?
Think how your child would feel!
What is the typical reaction to children who see in that way? Are these children treated with empathy and understanding?
Children self-report comments to the contrary!
Faulty input can only lead to faulty output. Some of the words used in reaction to that faulty output are:
Dumb...stupid...retard...slow...lazy...fidgety... unfocused...
There are many more. I'm sure you've heard them all on the playground...if not in class...when you were in school.
Inability to concentrate...limited attention span...class clown
personality...sloppy writing...poor coordination...inability to
participate in sports or excel in them...
are the comments we read on report cards sent home to parents.
Yet...ALL of these effects MAY be due to
the inability to see correctly!
Not only are the terms, listed above, hurled at the afflicted, they are used in self-accusation, as well. And...that makes the damage even worse. These terms destroy your child's belief that he is a capable learner.
Restoring the belief in being a capable learner
is a real challenge for your child, as well as for
the remedial reading teacher.
So....What's the answer?
As any parent who's "been through the mill" will tell you, many visual processing problems are difficult to identify. When the problems are identified, and proper corrective measures and treatment are put into play, dramatic changes to the child's levels of performance are soon in evidence.
ALL parents can readily identify severe physical abnormalities in their children's eyes. They are concerned, and rightfully so, about their child's self-esteem. They seek professional help at the first sign.
The parent who's "been there and done that" will also tell you that their wisdom KNEW there was a problem...sought professional help...and followed that advice...only to be dead-ended time and again.
Relief for most came by chance!
Someone would ask the simple question, "Has your child's eyes been checked, lately? Have they ever been checked?"
Many of those children wore glasses...but were still struggling at learning. Some visual conditions can't be treated adequately with glasses, alone.
Learning-related visual problems...
are those that affect...How we learn...How we read...How we handle distance-related work.
They are often mistaken for other problems since many of the behaviors are THE SAME! These include:
Can the eyes stay on target in following a line of print?
Do the eyes work together as a team?
Can the eyes blend images of each eye into one single
clear image?
Can the eyes adjust their focus at near-point and
far-points, in rapid succession?
Is there coordination between the eyes and the hands?
Can the eyes see where an object is...how far it is...how big it is...how fast it is moving...what texture it has...and...the direction in which it is moving?
What is KEY is that these abilities must be developed to a level of automatic function and use.
All aspects of vision are critical to efficient and effective learning.
One would expect that parents and educators would see it as a first course of action when dealing with learning and reading problems. The reality is that, despite its importance, a vision examination is low priority!
"Only 14% of children have had a
comprehensive vison exam by first grade!"
(Better Vision Institute)
Better vision is key to better learning. When vision is integrated with all sensory-motor systems, your child's school and personal life is enhanced.
The take-home message is this:
If your child is in Kindergarten, now -- book an appointment
for a complete vision examination.
If your child is about to enter Kindergarten -- get a vision
exam BEFORE the start of the next school year.
You are the consumer. You have a right to ask the vision professional of your choice if the eye exam goes beyond refraction and eye-health issues. You have the right to ask if the eye exam tests for visual skills that contribute to your child's success with reading and school achievement.
School achievement is your child's job.
The vision professional's job is to determine if all systems are functional ...
so that your child can do her job.
According to the Optometrists Network, a comprehensive eye examination should include tests for the following visual skills:
Acuity-Distance: visual acuity (sharpness, clearness) at 20 feet distance.
Acuity-Near: visual acuity for short distance (specifically, reading distance)
Focusing Skills: the ability of the eyes to maintain clear vision at varying distances.
Eye Tracking and Fixation Skills: the ability of the eyes to look at and accurately follow an object; this includes the ability to use both eyes together at the same time.
Stereopsis: binocular depth perception.
Convergence and Eye Teaming Skills: the ability of the eyes to aim, move and work as a coordinated team.
Hyperopia: a refractive condition that makes it difficult to focus, especially at near viewing distances.
Color Vision: the ability to differentiate colors.
Reversal Frequency: confusing letters or words (b,d; p,q; saw, was; etc.)
Visual Memory: the ability to store and retrieve visual information.
Visual Form Discrimination: the ability to determine if two shapes, colors, sizes, positions, or distances are the same or different.
Visual Motor Integration: the ability to combine visual input with other sensory input (hand and body movements, balance, hearing, etc.); the ability to transform from a vertical to a horizontal plane (such as from the blackboard to the desk surface).
Some basic eye exams or vison screenings test only one of the above: Acuity-Distance (clarity of sight in the distance, 20/20 eyesight).
(Quoted, in whole, from Pediatric Eye Care, Eye Exams, at www.children-special-needs.org)
Learning-related problems are quite different from those of ADHD, Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities, despite the overlap in behavioral display and achievement. Visual problems MAY require the prescription of glasses for near-point work. They MAY require a therapy progam to improve visual abilities.
"Untreated eye conditions can worsen and lead
to other serious problems, as well as affect
learning ability, athletic performance and self-esteem."
Children and Eye Problems
Prevent Blindness America, 2000
As Luci Baines Johnson, Honorary Chair of the American Foundation for Vision Awareness, states:
"If the key to a better society is education,
the key to a better education is better
vision. If you don't have the key, you
can't open the door to a better life."
Children's Vision and Learning Campaign, 1999
Kindergarten children who see with distortions have only ever seen that way. They don't know any differently. They expect that everyone sees that way, and...therefore...can't tell you.
Good vision, in all its dimensions, along with good hearing and good physical balance are vital to learning. Without a competent vision exam, far too many children are in remedial settings...who shouldn't be. It all boils down to this: Only YOU can take your child for a vision exam. It is YOUR responsibility.
Now, you know why.
Just do it!
Visual Skill and How It Affects Reading and Learning
