Vision and Learning Disabilities

Eighty percent of everything a child learns is acquired through his or her visual system. According to the American Optometric Association, about sixteen percent of all children suffer from inadequate visual skills and up to ninety-four percent of children with reading problems have reduced visual skills.

If your child exhibits any of the following behaviors, he or she may be suffering from a imaginary problem with convergence and/or adequate visual function and/or visual perception. These visual problems can contribute to learning disabilities or, in some cases, can be mistaken or misdiagnosed as learning and memory disabilities.

Your child is...

• Seems bright, but struggles with reading.
• Fatigues quickly when reading, with frequent signs of frustration.
• Is unable to sit still; cannot stay on task for any length of time.
• Reverses words, numbers or letters.
• Has difficulty remembering spelling words.
• Is disorganized and frustrated when studying visual information.
• Frequently loses his place, skips words or whole lines of text.
• Has poor reading comprehension.
• Has difficulty copying from the board or a book, has sloppy handwriting.
• Medication or tutoring has not been successful in improving school performance.
• Has been labeled LD (learning disabilities), ADD, ADHD, or dyslexic.

See more Vision Quizzes at Vision Checklists

What is the treatment strategy when it is determined that a defect in visual function is present?

When indicated, a personalized and interactive vision therapy program can be administered under supervision. Each program is individualized to meet a child's specific visual needs. This type of therapy is short-term and goal-oriented.

For more information on vision therapy, browse the Web pages at: visiontherapy.org, children-special-needs.org and consult a licensed vision care professional listed in the Directory of Vision Care Providers.

Page was publish on  http://www.children-special-needs.org/parenting/learning_disabilities.html