It is just about glasses correct?
Posted by Robert Chambers
on Jan 15, 2013
While being able to see the board in class is important members at their regular meeting on January 15th at Prante's learned that is far more complex. Dr. Jace Picken, O.D. an optometrist at Prairie Vision, Wahpeton and a club member talked about new information on visual-motor patterns. He reviewed the developmental goals related to seeing and integrating the visual patterns specific for each age from six months to forty-eight months. These skills are dependent both on visual clarity and focus as well as the integration of the eye-brain pathways. It is these latter that have been ignored. The child may "see" correctly but not be able to integrate what they see.
He spoke of problems with both visual analysis skills and visual spatial skills. Interestingly some of the indicators of visual analysis skills (distractibility; short attention span; problems concentrating; hyperactive) are identical to Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) symptoms. Dr. Picken believes that ADD has been misdiagnosed in some cases adn therefore incorrectly treated when the real problem is a visual analysis skill problem. Other visula analysis skill problems include: trouble learning the alphabet, trouble recoganizing words;mistaking words with similar beginnings; overgeneralizing; tracing/touching figures; dissiculty understanding instructions and, in some cases, hypo-activity. Problems with visual spatial skills include: lack of coordination and balance; difficulty in learning right from left; reversing numbers or letters; difficulty with rhythm; not being good at sports; not crossing the mid-line when doing tasks [switches objects from hand to hand]; not using non-dominant hand for support when writing or copying; and rotating body when writing or copying (again not crossing the mid-line). These problems are all related to incomplete or non connected eye-brain connections. Once correctly recognized specific training can be undertaken to correct the deficit.