At age 6.3 Hendrick was referred by his occupational therapist in South Bend, IN with a diagnosis of PDD NOS and high functioning autism. At his first examination with Dr. Fortenbacher, his mother reported that Hendrick would "melt down" when it came to reading and writing! His diagnosis was accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction and delays in visual processing. In this video you will see Hendrick in action during vision therapy and hear his mother talk about his progress after only 21 sessions.
On Monday, November 12, 2012, Patricia Lemer, M.Ed will be in South Bend, Indiana lecturing on autism and vision and other related aspects. Her all-day PESI lecture is entitled: IN Vision Issues in Autism: More Than Meets the Eye Seminar. In addition, the Clinic Director from Wow Vision Therapy, Lindsey Stull, O.D., FCOVD will be attending and offering some examples of vision therapy activities.
Ryan is a child with Autism. Like many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) they can also experience delays in vision development which significantly exaggerates the severity of the spectrum of behaviors associated with their autism.
Take a look and see Ryan’s progression throughout 9 months of office-based optometric vision therapy atWow Vision Therapy.Ryan was initially referred to us by his Sensory Integration Occupational Therapist who recognized the hallmark signs and symptoms of a developmental vision problem that was interfering with Ryan’s progress.
Doctors of Optometry also play a vital role in the early detection of autism. This is becoming
more evident also in continuing education for optometrists around the US. For example at the 2012 AOA Annual Meeting, Dr. Glen T. Steele presented on this important topic to primary care optometrists. The story was published in the September 2012 of Optometry Times.
More information can also be found on The VisionHelp Blog where Dr. Leonard Press has written extensively on the subject of vison and autism. Click here for the collection of VH Blog articles published on this topic. For those who would like an excellent article published in Volume 40/Number 3/2009, Optometry and Vision Development, entitled: The Role of Optometry in Early Indentification of Austim Spectrum Disorders, authored by: Leonard J. Press, O.D., FCOVD and Jack E. Richman, O.D., FCOVD, click here.
Yesterday Dr. Fortenbacher, along with Wow Vision Therapy's Clinic Director, Dr. Lindsey Stull, and resident, Dr. Tuan Tran presented to the staff at the Children's Therapy Center at Memorial Children's Hospital in South Bend. The program was part of the new "Lunch and Learn" educational series that provides a much more personal and interactive experience for the OTs, PTs and SLPs at the Center.
Dr. Fortenbacher (and team) were able to present, over the course of the lunch hour, 3 recent or current patients in treatment and engage in a collaborative Q&A discussion. Written and video presentations helped to show how these children obtain the best outcomes in their overall progress through office-based optometric vision therapy and a multidisciplinary approach provided by the team at the Children's Therapy Center.
During the discussion there were some who asked about how to obtain more information about developmental vision and vision rehabilitation. For those who want to find out more detailed information about these topics the following was recommended:
When is it OK to "wait and see" if the problem goes away on it's own?
What if your 6 year old child has been diagnosed with a binocular vision problem that appears to be interfering with her learning to read? You are seeing behaviors that look like she can't concentrate on books. Her teacher is spotting some signs of trouble but can't be sure that it is "her eyes". You take her to an eye doctor who makes the diagnosis of a binocular vision problem called convergence insufficiency but dismisses treatment "for now" and opts for monitoring the problem. But, is it really ok to just wait and see?
As strange as it may sound, an outdated approach often recommended by many eye doctors when faced with a young patient (often 4-7 years old) diagnosed with certain forms of eye coordination problems, such as convergence insufficiency, is to simply monitor the condition and see if it goes away it's own. In other words, no treatment is recommended.
In response to this and other vision problems in children, the University of Oregon Brain Development Lab has just produced this video on vision and the developing brain. See what the neuroscientists and the research is showing about the importance of early intervention.
Then check out the story of a mom (below) who wouldn't accept "NO" for an answer when told that her 6 year old daughter (with convergence insufficiency) was too young to be treated.
Find out how a persistent mom dealt with this problem with her own 6 year old daughter. Read the heartwarming and inspirational story from Paige Melendres in Albuquerque, who was not comfortable with the "wait and see" recommendation by her first doctor. Her story can be found by clicking on CI:The Private Eye Goes Public -Part 1and scroll down to comment #8. Her story has a happy ending and good advice for parents who may have a child who is struggling.
CI: The Private Eye Goes Public is a VisionHelp Bloginvestigational series written by Dr. Leonard Press and Dr. Dan Fortenbacher dedicated to uncovering the important public health and patient care issues surrounding convergence insufficiency.
Statistics from the Autism Society shows that autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the US. Current studies are suggesting that Autism is occurring in 1 in 110 children with nearly 1.5 million living with this condition. Autism is a spectrum disorder that typically includes pervasive developmental delays in sensory processing. One critical area to a child with Autism can be vision development.
One of the most famous adults with autism is Temple Grandin, PhD., who has been able to rise above the challenges associated with autism. Her story is now being told in the HBO full length feature film entitled Temple Grandin, staring critically acclaimed actor, Claire Danes. As a testament to her ability to apply herself, Dr. Grandin describes the impact of her vision in her book, Thinking in Pictures, and Other Reports of My Life with Autism.
Expanding this awareness is a new group, Moms Fighting Autism. Moms Fighting Autism is a monthly webinar service dedicated to helping moms who have children with autism. And this month the Moms Fighting Autism Webinar is featuring one of Optometry's leading lecturers, writers and clinicians in the area of Developmental Vision...Dr. Carl Hillier.
Dr. Hillier's webinar is occurring on February 16, 2010 at 6:PM PT. Dr. Hillier will be discussing “Vision and Living Within the Autistic Spectrum,” including Vision Therapy. To register for this FREE webinar click here.
Dr. Hillier was also recently featured on San Diego 6 News. Click here to see Dr. Hillier's interview with reporter Greg Phillips. The topic was how hidden vision problems can be the cause of your child's reading disabilities.
With greater public awareness of the vision problems associated with autism, more children (and adults) can find the developmental vision care that will help those with autism to lead a more happy and productive life. A good way to find a doctor who specializes in developmental vision care is to go to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development website and search for a Board Certified Fellow in your area.
Autism is known as a spectrum disorder that affects nearly 1 in 150 children. Developmental delays are also common in children with autism which can include key areas of vision development. Doctor supervised office-based vision therapy can effectively remediate developmental delays of the visual system and result in significant improvements in a child with autism.
In the latest issue of Optometry and Vision Development (OVD 40-3 2009) an excellent case study was published on the results through office-based vision therapy. To read this article, click here.
You can also read more about the successful treatment of vision problems associated with autism at Wow Vision Therapy by clicking here.
Children on the autism spectrum present with special challenges for parents and physicians. In Spring of 2008 The Horse Boy movie is scheduled to be released. In this griping father-son story we see how a child, Rowan Issacson and his parents, particularly his father come to grips with the developmental delays and behaviors associated with autism through traditional vs orthadox treatments.
Children on the spectrum typically experience developmental delays in vision processing and visual-sensory integration, leaving them with the inability to effectively handle a world that involves multisensory demands. Vision therapy for children on the autism spectrum often helps the child to advance more rapidly in their overall communication and socialization skills and reduces sensitivites.
Dr. Kendal Stewart, neuologist said, “The diagnosis and treatment of autism can have many layers.Physicians have to think “out of the box” to find what works best for each individual child.Technology has allowed us to “see” the source of the problem and provide targeted treatments.Stabilizing the neurological and immunological fluctuation in these children allows their therapeutic approach to be much more beneficial.”
This question was recently raised. Vision therapy does not cure autism, but it can significantly improve academic performance, personal comfort and security and participation in more typical, age-appropriate activities. in other words, enhance a person's quality. Please visit the following web sites to learn more about this topic.
Recent Comments