My son has been doing the visual perception exercises from the book Helping Children Overcome Learning Difficulties, by Jerome Rosner. I have a good friend that has similar problems with her son with what seemed to her like visual perception. We talked and she wanted me to test him using the TVAS test (a pretty simple test that is supposed to point to visual perception deficits) from the book.
Her son is 7 going into second. He tested at the mid kindergarten level, level 5.
He put on the glasses prescribed by the developmental optomitrist and scored at first grade level level 8. It could be that he had already done the test and that is why he scored better. I didn’t think so though because he was able to do a shape that he wouldn’t even attempt without the glasses. There was a dramatic difference.
She said that the glasses were for “focusing” (She didn’t have a more specific diagnosis) and that his vision was tested to be 20/20.
My son received the glasses from the same doctor for tracking. It didn’t help with the visual percepion test but it does seem to have improved his reading now that he is used to them. He reads faster and harder material.
Now I finally see the difference in visual perception and eye muscle disorders. Some kids visual perception is related in part by the eye muscle disorder for some it is something else. This is just what is making sense to me.
It is difficult to say with my son if it is the visual perception exercises or the glasses that has improved his reading or maybe it is just all the reading practice.
We have a long way to go to get my son up to grade level on the visual perception TVAS test. He tested in at the kindergarten level, level 6. He needs to get to level 18 to be considered at grade level.
I am guessing it will take about 2-3 months.
I am not an expert. I am really learning things as I go, hopelessly pecking away at specific deficits and trying to even discern what the deficits are and how they affect specific learning issues.
visual and/or language based?
When you say problems with reading due to visual perception and/or tracking, are they the same kinds of problems that those with a language based disability would have, or are they different?
How would one be able to tell what is causing the reading difficulties?
Re: visual and/or language based?
this was specifically due to a visual problem that found a correction through the use of specifically designed glasses. If I read the previous post correctly, she mentioned the use of glasses and tracking as part of the problem. In my case it wasn’t language deficits rather a muscle that no longer/poorly worked. The thinking is that the problem occured as a result of an excessively high temperature related to german measels (I’m old) or they haven’t ruled out that this condition is hereditary.
Re: Something very interesting happened yesterday.
Ashley,
Thank you for that input. I had wondered this myself. My son’s 22 year old golf instuctor uses the glasses just for golf. He says they are his magic golf glasses.
I will be careful. I had asked my friend if she was going to do the exercises for visual perception with or without the glasses because her son’s visual perception improved so much with them. I do them without, she was going to do them with.
I will pass that cautionary note along. It makes sense.
Linda
Re: visual and/or language based?
LuLu,
In the book I am using they have a test for visual perception auditory perception and language based difficulties. I am so clueless, I used to think language based difficulties and auditory perception were the same thing hence my belief that my son’s gifted level language abilities mean’t auditory perception was out of the question.
I now believe based on this book and a few others I have since read that my son had at least some auditory perception issues that were remediated by phonographix. This book was originally researched in the 60s and 70s and seems to use many of the same principles for remediation of auditory perception that phonographix uses to teach reading. ( I have to wonder if the phongraphix authors used some of Rosner’s research)
Decoding is largely an auditory skill. It requires hearing the sounds in the words.
Even with my son’s kindergarten level visual perception he reads very well. I believe that is because his auditory perception was remediated and he doesn’t really have a serious eye muscle problem. (As you know he did not leave first grade this way)
My son still has trouble with other things that I believe are a manifestation of his visual perception difficulties. terrible at puzzles, finding pages in a book, the numbers chart and other math concepts, spacing his writing on the page, telling time and a few other things.
I hope that either through the visual perception remediation I am doing or if that doesn’t work further sensory integration therapy this problem will also be fixed.
I really have to take this one piece at a time otherwise it is too overwhelming. I have learned more from the people on this board than anywhere else. I truely hope to return the favor in some small way.
Linda
Re: Something very interesting happened yesterday.
I’m just curious? Can you child cross his eyes? Test this by taking a pencil and have him/her focus on it as long as possible. Move the pencil in toward the eyes. See if one of the eyes shoots off. This will really confirm if it is a muscle dysfunction. I can not cross my eyes, ever. The muscles won’t work to that point. This is what happens when kids read from line to line. The eyes dart all over the place trying to focus on the next word/line. The normal eye will work together to do the task.
Re: Something very interesting happened yesterday.
Just tried it. He did it for a second then both eyes shoot off, sometimes left sometimes right.
I remember reading that the best therapy for tracking is reading. Do you agree? I will have him read without his glasses to help him work out those muscles. Then I will test him in a few months with the simple test.
He has only become a fluent reader recently so I have to think that now that he can do it he will self remediate this particular deficit with reading.
Re: Something very interesting happened yesterday.
He will probably never be able to cross his eyes and will always work very hard at reading. Not the cognitive process necessarily but the physical process. The test you gave him could be used as a method of training. Make him keep focusing at closer and closer distances. The year of therapy I did worked on this type of thing. It was tough but it really helped. There must be a lot of ideas of the web for vision therapy. Good luck and what a lucky kid to have found this so young - I was 25.
Re: Something very interesting happened yesterday.
My son reads well but doesn’t like to read.
I will do vision therapy if this doesn’t self remediate by early next year. My friend cured her son of tracking issues. I will ask her more about the exercises she got from the VT.
We are paying for Interactive metronome and my son is in a ton of sports. I will be sure to keep an eye on it!
I am an adult and a teacher of sped and went through vision therapy when I was having major eye problems while working heavy loads in college. The therapy worked well for me although my field will not endorse it. The glasses they gave for the muscle issue had prisms in them which made it much easier for me to track and read. However, the long term effects of these glasses is that the muscle does not try to work and becomes weak. Just like any other muscle that would atrophy if not being used. I would seriously caution you as the long term effects of this is “lazy” eye. Use those glasses in limited time frames. I don’t use mine at all and after the year long sessions, I am able to cross stitch without any assistance. My eyes tire easily - but I’m glad that happens because I know the muscle is still working. Please be very careful!