Went to optomotrist.

My son still doesn’t decode as well as yours but I know we also have visual issues. I had my son use a pencil to mark where he is when reading and it made a tremendous difference, as compared to when I did the tracking for him. I mentioned this to our Neuronet therapist who told me that doing the pencil himself directs his eyes to where he needs to pay attention. She also said it indicates that he still has residual vestibular issues. I am not sure how he does—he has had much therapy and I have seen major improvements. That alone is frustrating. She said the act of using the pencil may alone resolve some of the remaining issues, given the improvement in vestibular development we’ve seen.

We’re working on visualization now. In addition to being worthwhile on its own merits, I am hoping that it will make resolving his other visual issues easier. The therapy we were doing was helping but I got very sick of it. With a kid like mine, there is always something else you can work on!!

Your son sounds very much like the kids Rod describes as really benefiting from vision therapy. I too think it is worth a try. I think having done IM should make it easier–an OT I had evaluate my son told me that kids doing SID therapy make much faster progress with vision therapy. Now the original OD I consulted (and we did 6 months of therapy with) told me he didn’t see why–that should have been my cue to find someone else. But I didn’t know as much then as I do now.

Beth

Linda, I have a son Hunter who is 10 yrs. old he has visual perception problems along with fine motor skill problems, he is having reading difficulties (can’t read for very long without tiring) Hunter was tested for vision problems the dr. found that Hunter has tracking and visuo spatial problems, he was given a regular eye exam which was fine Hunter is also diagnosed with ADD, I was wondering what type of optometrist is prescribing the special eyeglasses for your child, and what help they will be getting from the glasses, I want to ask our optometrist about these. Vision therapy was recommended for Hunter but his other doctors don’t think much of vision therapy, He sees a OT for 30 minutes each week. I would appreciate any info. you can give me. Thanks Teresa Sewell

I finally learned that the glasses were not for the tracking issues but for his accomodation problems. I am sorry, I don’t fully understand what the means but I think it means he compensates for some near sightedness that he has. He tests fine on the eye chart tests but I wonder if that is because he is compensating which he can sustain for short periods but over the long haul wears him out and curtails his attention. I will find out more at the next visit and share what I learn.

I have friend who went to the same doctor. Her son had his eye tracking issues dealt with when he was very little (in England where they look at things like this) and the glasses were all he needed to start reading Harry Potter in first grade. This boy also has dysgraphia and motor issues that are not fully resolved. His motor issues are far worse than my son’s.

This boy also has stopped wearing the glasses after about a year. I don’t fully understand but his mom said he just got better.

The optomotrists I saw were both behavioral optomotrists that also function as regular optomotrists. They both recommended the glasses.

My son is also in OT and it has really helped his motor issues and some of his visual spatial issues. The OT just shrugged when I mentioned vision therapy and I really value her opinion so I never pursued it.

My son has made great progress remediating some of his issues. I had one optomotrist tell me that they don’t get to see kids who have one or even two issues. Most kids labeled as ld have many issues otherwise they just learn to circumvent the one issue and may be a little clumsy or perform at a slightly lower level but not enough to get picked out of the group. He believes that we have to remove each of the burdens these kids carry and with each burden removed things get a little easier.

I have seen this with my son who performs OK in a regular class but still has some issues. He has made great strides since I got serious about remediation.

Beth

I had stopped the circle ‘e’s because we were really focusing on seeing stars. I think he needs to go back to them and I will wait on SS for now. He does have great trouble getting to automaticity with visualization and I wonder if it is related to his eye problems. One can’t visualize if the input is not clear.

I don’t know, but here we go…….

I think that it is difficult to think of the different processes as completely unrelated. What I have learned on this journey is that 1. it is better to do more basic level therapies first (IM before PACE, and vision input before visionalization as you suggest) 2. If you are stuck or burned out on one therapy, try another approach. It may help what you are stuck on.
This is what I am hoping with by working on visualization. Plus, he has already improved in the few days we have done it–which hopefully will help his comprehension and writing.

I suspect that my son’s visual input issues are more minor than your son’s at this point. He has been through vision therapy which helped some, although not enough, and we did exercises last fall with Neuronet which also helped. But unlike your son, my son has auditory processing issues as well and he does not have the decoding down as well, despite lots of repetition. The second OD we consulted, (when he continued to have tracking problems after completing vision therapy) told me he could track fine as long as there were no cognitive demands. That leaves out reading!! Anyway, my suspicion is that his tracking would be adequate if he didn’t have auditory processing problems as well.

The OD we consulted was undecided as to whether glasses might help my son. His eyes are better than 20-20 but your post made me think we ought to revisit that issue.

Beth

I still haven’t gone to the DO yet, but I think my dd does have some visual issues. With regards to the near-sightedness, I notice that if the print is smaller my dd wants to look real close. So I’m wondering if the glasses just help make that print look closer without pulling the book to your nose?

I did the circle e’s with her and she didn’t have any problems (but did want to look close - couldn’t do it if she had to sit straight up.) So I tested my son, but he too wanted to look somewhat close???

On another note, I pulled my MTC book back out and we have started doing MTC again (picked up where we left off 9mo ago). I was very pleased that she had improved alot. MTC does alot of visual imaging as part of their spelling program. I was debating on getting the Seeing Stars book, but I think I’m getting similar results with MTC. She told me last night - ‘mom, I see the letters now. I don’t have to have a cartoon attached to the letter anymore.’ Now, she might just know that is what I wanted to hear? But her spelling on the program was greatly improved - she missed ALOT less than she did a year ago.

When I wear the glasses the print looks very big to me not blurry when I wear regular prescription glasses. It just looks magnified. I have normal vision, I read early and don’t think I have any vision issues.

My son wore them at school today and said, “They didn’t help.” He doesn’t say that they hurt but he also doesn’t think they help. I will have him keep at it. He is usually a very good judge of things.

On getting a crisp answer that really makes sense. You’ve done such a great job of peeling away the layers - I think this will yield big results for you!!

Good news!

Hang in through the vision therapy; give it some time to do some good.

Accommodation problems: excess stress focusing your eyes at the right distance. I have this, always had, and with age it’s getting worse, sigh. You can get a feel for it yourself if you take a book and put it right on your nose and read it. You *can* read, but your eyes sure will get tired.

Glasses: tell him to give himself a week with them and *you* (not he) make a note of any comments he makes or any actions he does that show fatigue. Then have him go a week without them and again you take notes. If you can show him that he’s reading for half an hour more a day, getting better marks on quizzes, and griping half as much about headaches, that will show the glasses are useful. On the other hand, if there’s no observable difference, get rid of them.

My daughter had a visual problem with her retinas that glasses could do nothing to help. But her teachers saw “vision problem”, read no further, and insisted that I had to take her in to get glasses. We got a pair that did some magnification and maybe helped her a little bit but not much. After two years we went back to the good ophthalmologist who finally got my eyes and glasses as right as possible (amblyopia due to the previous twelve years of ignorant providers) and he took the glasses and threw them in the garbage, a relief to both of us although the teachers kept accusing me of neglect and overprotectiveness in the same breath. Be prepared for going around in circles arguing this one with the school.

Many docs don’t think much of Vision Therapy and neither do the insurance companies unfortunately-my son went through 6 months of intensive therapy and another year of at-home therapy. The difference is phenomenal!! He was not reading at all after 1st grade, he went through corrective reading in 2nd and decoding problems were completely remediated but he still couldn’t read for long and his comprehension was way below grade level. His CAT for comprehension in 2nd grade was in the low 50th percentile, after 6 weeks of VT his CAT in 3rd grade was in the high 60th percentile and this past year (4th grade) after completeing VT he scored in the 88th percentile!!!!

My son had teaming, tracking and perceptual issues. The perceptual issues are not completely remedicated since they are secondary to ADHD but the scores tell you what it would take me too much space to explain. It was worth every penny I spent, the time it took to take my ex to court to pay for half, the time it took to fight with the insurance company, and the arguments with my son over going in the first place! He now admits the difference.

Good Luck!

Interesting, thanks Beverly!

We also just started audiblox. I think this program is phenomonal. I think it is the perfect solution for visual processing type problems. I see so many areas of weakness in both my 4 year old without apparant ld and my 9 year old lder that I just couldn’t pinpoint with all the other testing and other things we have done.

My 4 year old was doing things right to left. I have already started correcting that. Good thing I picked that up now.

Hi Linda,
That’s awesome news!!!! How nice to get a clear answer.

Interestingly, I’m also considering vision therapy again. One thing that made me think of this is I had been watching my son read and realized that sometimes he moves his head instead of his eyes. I even asked him if he moved his head when he reads and he told me sometimes he does. From what I had recalled this can be an indication of a vision problem.

Also, knowing my son very likely has dyspraxia there’s a chance that his motor/muscle issues extend to eye/vision. Although that’s not always the case, there is a possiblity.

One more thing, I was trying an exercise with him called “Pencil Push Ups” (that’s where he has to focus both eyes on a pencil
while I move it slowly closer or further away). I did this very slowly and kept it far from his face because he did not want to do this exercise at all! I only did it for an exremely short time (maybe 10-15 seconds) and he told me it really hurt his eyes. I later tried it on myself and it didn’t hurt my eyes (maybe if I bring the pencil very close to my face, but from the distance I used with him it wasn’t irritating to me).

Anyhow, I still want to start with IM first and am hoping to get them to commit to a date when we might be able to begin. The place where I’d be taking my son also has a vision center and they combine IM/PACE and VT together. Unfortunately it’s a long way from my home, but I’ve come to the conclusion that we really need to do this.

I can’t wait to hear how everything goes for your son! How long will he be going for VT? If you don’t mind me asking, how much do they charge? Do you have to pay ahead of time or can you pay as you go?

I have a book to recommend that might (or might not) fill in some more pieces of the puzzle.

I suggest you read “The LCP [long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids] Solution: The Remarkable Nutritional Treatment for Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD” by Dr. Jacqueline Stordy. You can get an overview by going to her website which is www.drstordy.com. Brain cells have a great need for essential fatty acids [EFAs]. Many of us don’t get enough in the typical American diet. The research is fascinating. EFAs are also critical for the eyes. I think that part of the reason that EFA supplementation can help some children read better is because it affects their vision. My son has been taking EFA supplements for about 2 years now… we do lots of things to support his health/learning issues and I think EFAs are one piece of his puzzle. At a few junctures when we’ve stopped the EFAs (for a variety of reasons), he has stopped reading for pleasure. My perception is that it is just too much of an effort. I could go on… at any rate, check it out!

LindaW, I apologize for asking this b/c I’m sure I’ve asked before, but can’t remember the answer - what supplement are you using for EFA?

Mostly we have been using Efalex. Recently I experimented with Eye-Q (only available from Great Britain) for about 6 weeks but switched back. Efalex is higher in DHA and Eye-Q is higher in EPA. Researchers are debating/figuring out which is better for which kids. I also discussed this with a nutritionist and she said that in her practice, some kids to better on different formulas and you just have to keep working at it until you determine what does your child the most good.

We had a very positive experience with VT-lots of tears and headaches before VT. Still dyslexic but could at least focus on the page!
Our doc. was able to give us the excercises to do at home. It was summer and we were very faithful, daily and sometimes 2x daily. 6 weeks later her imporvement was amazing.

We are doing something similar. I also just have him track the pencil with his eyes in slow circles. It is very difficult for him. I agree, I didn’t find it hard.

Another one for the eye muscles that I found on the internet was to have the child lay on the floor or his bed. Have him look at the four corners of the room moving from spot to spot without moving his head. My son really likes this one. The bed offers him the support he needs to not move his head.

We have been doing this. One problem is that my son can’t swallow pills. He takes the coromega orange flavored packets but he doesn’t really like too.

Do you have any other suggestions for a boy who has an extreme aversion to swallowing pills?

Hi Linda,
I’ll have to try the circles!

I have a similar exercise to the one you described. Have your son lay on his bed, head still…you hold a flashlight and he holds one. Have him follow the light of your flashlight (he has to visually track the beam of light).

I just came across this exercise the other day while at Barnes and Noble. They had a newer book by the author of “The Out-of-Sync Child.” I think it’s called “The Out-of-Sync Child at Play.” And it’s full of Sensory exercises. I didn’t buy it because my daughter had a stack of books and I only had so much money with me. But I do plan to go back and purchase it.

Does your son have trouble with Playstation-type games?
My son is basically a PS2 expert and I’ve been wondering how he can be doing so well while having visual problems.

I understand that his reading difficulties aren’t entirely visual. There is some sound/symbol connection difficulties which are very very VERY slowly being resolved. However, I’m thinking that possibly vision has something to do with helping make this a slow progress because my son will avoid reading whenever possible. Even when he “can” read something he will do anything to avoid it when possible.

I happened to talk with a good friend of mine who mentioned that she has some vision difficulties similar to my son. Although she can read adequately, is a college grad, and doesn’t have any LDs, she told me she does not enjoy reading and would prefer not to read. I thought that was very interesting!

I live with an adult just like your friend. It is all true!

Do you know that before IM my son could barely work the remote control on the television? He avoided playstation type games like the plague. He now loves them. He got nintendo game cube for Christmas.

He still misses small words when he reads and still doesn’t like to read. I suspect VT will help.

Thanks for the exercise I will try it. Sounds like one he will enjoy which is certainly a big plus.

Beth,
“an OT I had evaluate my son told me that kids doing SID therapy make much faster progress with vision therapy”. My child made very little progress in VT. What is SID? Maybe I should do it and then revisit the VT.