Take a look at AJ's story and you will see how a child with developmental delays can also have vision-related delays that interfere with many areas of life. AJ is not alone as children with delayed vision development will typically show poor academic progress and struggle with many routine activities in daily living. While age is not a barrier to treatment, when caught early and treated with office-based optometric vision therapy, a child with vision related developmental delays can often times catch up and show the progress expected for their age. In this short video you will hear AJ's parents describe their experience and AJ's success at Wow Vision Therapy.
"Developmental delays" is a common diagnosis for many children in our care at Wow Vision Therapy. In addition to office-based optometric vision therapy, helping children with developmental delays often requires a multidisciplinary approach, including occupational therapy, speech therapy and physical therapy.
In this short video, Domenic's story is told by his father along with video footage of Domenic while he was in vision therapy at Wow Vision Therapy. We invite you to take a moment of time and see if Domenic's story resonates with you and if so, help pass it on so that those children with developmental delays can be recognized and provided the vision care that is so important to their future. We are also happy to provide answers to your questions if you wish to leave a comment.
Nathan is a child who had a history of significant developmental delays. Before vision therapy he struggled with hyperactivity, lack of focus, poor balance and difficulty with gross and fine motor ability. But, now thanks to early intervention and a multidisciplanary approach involving vision therapy, OT and speech therapy, Nathan has caught up and even begun to excel! Take a look and hear from Nathan's mother...
For more insights check out the post written by Dr. Dan Fortenbacher on the VisionHelp Blog entitled:
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.
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