Learning’s Hidden Disability: Undetected Vision Problems
Can a bright child does poorly in reading, writing, spelling, or math?
Can a bright child have low self-esteem and feel he/she is “stupid” and disappointing to parents and teachers?
Can a bright child spend hours struggling to complete school assignments?
Can a bright child be smart in everything but school?
YES…IF THE CHILD HAS AN UNDETECTED VISION PROBLEM!!
“We were told our child had 20/20 eyesight. The teacher thought she wasn’t trying hard enough.” Eight-year-old Brooke passed the 20/20 eye chart with flying colors—yet she saw letters move around on the page, words and letters disappeared, and the print go in and out of focus. When asked if she had ever told her parents or teacher that this was happening, Brooke replied, “No, I thought books did that to everyone.”
Children with learning-related vision problems rarely report symptoms. They think everyone sees the same as they do.
Vision is more than 20/20 eyesight. It is a complex process involving over 20 visual activities and 2/3 of all of the pathways to the brain. Nearly 80% of what a child perceives, comprehends, and remembers depends on the efficiency of the visual system.
A child can’t learn to reads when the words get jumbled up on the page and he/she can’t remember or make sense of what was just read.
Current research indicates that approximately 1 out of 4 children and 7 out of 10 juvenile delinquents have vision problems that interfere with their ability to achieve.
Why are learning-related vision problems so epidemic?
Vision is a learned skill, just like learning to walk or talk. In the past 30 years, games that encourage the development of good vision skills have been replaced by passive visual activities such as watching TV, video, and computer screens.
The average child watches 6,240 hours of television before entering first grade.
Many children are programmed for academic failure simply because their visual systems are not sufficiently developed to cope with the demands of reading and writing tasks at the kindergarten and first-grade levels.
The best way to treat a problem is to prevent it before it occurs.
A developmental vision problem diagnosed during the pre-school years can often be corrected before the child enters school.
Observe your child, and ask how he/she SEES.
Watch for the behavioral symptoms which indicate a possible vision problem. Any child exhibiting symptoms or not achieving to potential should have a comprehensive learning-related vision exam.
What can you do to help?
Support the development of comprehensive learning-related vision screenings, vision education, and vision hygiene programs in your school and community.
BE AWARE!
All vision exams are not learning-related. In addition to eye health, near and far visual acuity, and the need for glasses, a “Comprehensive Learning Related Vision Exam” will also evaluate:
* Eye movement control
* Focusing near to far
* Sustaining clear focus
* Depth perception
* Visual motor integration
* Form Perception
* Visual memory
BE AWARE!
Not all eye care specialists practice the developmental approach to vision care. To find one who does, make sure you receive a “yes” to the following questions:
THESE SYMPTOMS MAY INDICATE THAT YOU OR YOUR CHILD HAS A VISION PROBLEM
Physical clues
Performance clues
Secondary symptoms
Labeled
Copied from a brochure from P.A.V.E 1994
Can Learn Academy has a program to address and eliminate (in most cases) these struggles
HOW? You ask
We offer brain-based training for children and adults with learning/focus difficulties.
A functional evaluation of your child’s sensory system, visual and auditory processing, emotional communication, short-term working memory, and motor areas of fine & gross motor skills will occur. We will also evaluate their language, social behavior, and academic achievement and present all the findings as a developmental profile.
It does not end there.
Upon finalizing our evaluation, we provide you with the results and THEN develop a customized INEP (individualized neurodevelopment-education plan)
We offer TWO GREAT TRAINING options.
1. We can teach YOU, the family, to implement the Can Learn program in-home. I provide bi-weekly phone calls/emails to check progress & answer any questions/concerns you may have. Twice a year, re-evaluations are needed to access your child’s neurodevelopment progress and modify their program.
OR
2. Via Zoom, I oversee your child completing the individualized program three (3) days a week, two (2) sessions. A re-evaluation with program adjustments will be done.
Call today for your 30-minute free consultation
509-362-3418
www.canlearnacademy.org canlearnacademy@gmail.com
PO Box 6701 Kingman, Arizona 86402
PAVE (Parents Active for Vision Education) is a non-profit resource and support organization whose mission is to raise public awareness of the crucial relationship between vision and achievement.
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Can a bright child does poorly in reading, writing, spelling, or math?
Can a bright child have low self-esteem and feel he/she is “stupid” and disappointing to parents and teachers?
Can a bright child spend hours struggling to complete school assignments?
Can a bright child be smart in everything but school?
YES…IF THE CHILD HAS AN UNDETECTED VISION PROBLEM!!
“We were told our child had 20/20 eyesight. The teacher thought she wasn’t trying hard enough.” Eight-year-old Brooke passed the 20/20 eye chart with flying colors—yet she saw letters move around on the page, words and letters disappeared, and the print go in and out of focus. When asked if she had ever told her parents or teacher that this was happening, Brooke replied, “No, I thought books did that to everyone.”
Children with learning-related vision problems rarely report symptoms. They think everyone sees the same as they do.
Vision is more than 20/20 eyesight. It is a complex process involving over 20 visual activities and 2/3 of all of the pathways to the brain. Nearly 80% of what a child perceives, comprehends, and remembers depends on the efficiency of the visual system.
A child can’t learn to reads when the words get jumbled up on the page and he/she can’t remember or make sense of what was just read.
Current research indicates that approximately 1 out of 4 children and 7 out of 10 juvenile delinquents have vision problems that interfere with their ability to achieve.
Why are learning-related vision problems so epidemic?
Vision is a learned skill, just like learning to walk or talk. In the past 30 years, games that encourage the development of good vision skills have been replaced by passive visual activities such as watching TV, video, and computer screens.
The average child watches 6,240 hours of television before entering first grade.
Many children are programmed for academic failure simply because their visual systems are not sufficiently developed to cope with the demands of reading and writing tasks at the kindergarten and first-grade levels.
The best way to treat a problem is to prevent it before it occurs.
A developmental vision problem diagnosed during the pre-school years can often be corrected before the child enters school.
Observe your child, and ask how he/she SEES.
Watch for the behavioral symptoms which indicate a possible vision problem. Any child exhibiting symptoms or not achieving to potential should have a comprehensive learning-related vision exam.
What can you do to help?
Support the development of comprehensive learning-related vision screenings, vision education, and vision hygiene programs in your school and community.
BE AWARE!
All vision exams are not learning-related. In addition to eye health, near and far visual acuity, and the need for glasses, a “Comprehensive Learning Related Vision Exam” will also evaluate:
* Eye movement control
* Focusing near to far
* Sustaining clear focus
* Depth perception
* Visual motor integration
* Form Perception
* Visual memory
BE AWARE!
Not all eye care specialists practice the developmental approach to vision care. To find one who does, make sure you receive a “yes” to the following questions:
- Do you test for ALL of the visual abilities listed above>?
- Do you provide vision training in your office or will you refer me to a colleague who does?
THESE SYMPTOMS MAY INDICATE THAT YOU OR YOUR CHILD HAS A VISION PROBLEM
Physical clues
- Red, sore, or itching eyes
Jerky eye movements, one eye turning in or out - Squinting, eye rubbing, or excessive blinking
- Blurred or double vision
- Headaches, dizziness, or nausea after reading
Head tilting, closing or blocking one eye when reading
Performance clues
- Avoidance of near work
- Frequent loss of place
- Omits, inserts, or rereads letters/words
- Confuses similar looking at word
Failure to recognize the same word in the next sentence - Poor reading comprehension
- Letter or word reversals after first grade
Difficulty copying from the chalkboard - Poor handwriting,
- Misaligned numbers
Book held too close to the eyes - Inconsistent or poor sports performance
Secondary symptoms
- Smart in everything but school
- Melt-downs, aggression
- Frequent crying
- Short attention span
- Fatigue, frustration, stress
- Irritability
- Day dreaming
Labeled
- lazy
- dyslexic
- AD/HD or ADD
- Developmentally Delayed
- Autistic Spectrum
- slow learner
- behavioral problems
- juvenile delinquent
- working below potential
Copied from a brochure from P.A.V.E 1994
Can Learn Academy has a program to address and eliminate (in most cases) these struggles
HOW? You ask
We offer brain-based training for children and adults with learning/focus difficulties.
A functional evaluation of your child’s sensory system, visual and auditory processing, emotional communication, short-term working memory, and motor areas of fine & gross motor skills will occur. We will also evaluate their language, social behavior, and academic achievement and present all the findings as a developmental profile.
It does not end there.
Upon finalizing our evaluation, we provide you with the results and THEN develop a customized INEP (individualized neurodevelopment-education plan)
We offer TWO GREAT TRAINING options.
1. We can teach YOU, the family, to implement the Can Learn program in-home. I provide bi-weekly phone calls/emails to check progress & answer any questions/concerns you may have. Twice a year, re-evaluations are needed to access your child’s neurodevelopment progress and modify their program.
OR
2. Via Zoom, I oversee your child completing the individualized program three (3) days a week, two (2) sessions. A re-evaluation with program adjustments will be done.
Call today for your 30-minute free consultation
509-362-3418
www.canlearnacademy.org canlearnacademy@gmail.com
PO Box 6701 Kingman, Arizona 86402
PAVE (Parents Active for Vision Education) is a non-profit resource and support organization whose mission is to raise public awareness of the crucial relationship between vision and achievement.
Return to home page
