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TracyQ Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: New York
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1323
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Posted: March 09 2005 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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Hi all!
I'm just kind of introducing myself here as a someone with a child with vision learning difficulties.
Our son has a tracking and visual sequencing problem that were diagosed by a behavoral optometrist when we had him evaluated.
We knew there was something wrong, as he was lagging in reading, even though he could read any word when singly on a page, but not when they were all together.
So he had 6 months of vision therapy (intense!), and he's so much better.
I should really be doing some maintenance with him, and I haven't been. But I intend to!
So, I just wanted to introduce myself on this particular board, and let you know that we are dealing with learning difficulties in our homeschool! But we're SO blessed!
__________________ Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Mary Chris Forum All-Star
Joined: Jan 27 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: March 10 2005 at 6:38am | IP Logged
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TracyQ wrote:
So he had 6 months of vision therapy (intense!), and he's so much better.
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Tracy,
What did they do?
I am thinking of taking my daughter to vision therapy.
Thank you!
__________________ Blessings, Mary Chris Beardsley
mom to MacKenzie3/95, Carter 12/97 Ronan 3/00 and wife to Jim since 1/92
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TracyQ Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: New York
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1323
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Posted: March 10 2005 at 8:18am | IP Logged
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Mary Chris,
Well, first he was evaluated to see what the problems were. Then they developed a vision therapy program with him.
We went to the office once per week for a one hour session with the occupational therapist, and then we did various exercises and activities that would help correct that problem or make it better. Then for 6 days a week at home after that, he and I would do the daily HOME therapy (we took Sunday off only). I sat in on the sessions, to learn what I'd have to do with him for our daily therapy at home. We did this for SIX months.
Then he went for evaluation checks, to see how he was doing, and if it's *sticking* for lack of a better word. So far, so good. But it's really better if I do some light maintenance with exercises and such to keep his vision learning problems at bay.
Vision learning problems are not caused by the vision itself. It's the connectors from the EYE to the BRAIN that are wired differently than others, causing the difficulties in reading, math, etc.
Our son would put throat stops in while reading, couldn't read fluently even though he could read well). He'd switch letters around or numbers for math. But he wasn't dyslexic, that was just part of the vision problem for him. He'd write with his letters all together, with no spacing, and it was a mess! There were other things too.
You should see the difference! It's incredible! He read ALL THREE Lord of the Rings books, and is reading the Redwall Series, something he would never have attempted before as it was just so hard for him to see the words all together on a page, especially with small writing like that. He still takes longer to read than some, but he's doing so much better!
You can read about vision learning problems at Children's Vision I hope this helps!
__________________ Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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ALmom Forum All-Star
Joined: May 18 2005
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Posted: May 23 2005 at 5:03pm | IP Logged
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Tracy,
I'm new to the message board as well. We also have several children with vision problems and did vision therapy. Our children had an eye muscle weakness problem, some more severe than others. We are in therapy with one son now and have 2 in line. We finished with one daughter a while ago and, as you said, the differences were unbelievable. Our children had trouble with using the eyes together, convergence, accomodation, visual closure, visual form, etc. We were so thankful for our in town vision therapist who agreed to work with the diagnosing optometrist who was a (C.0.V.D. fellow) but was 3 hours away.
We saw all those things you are talking about - reversals, 12 as 21, etc and awful spacing in handwriting, reading that just wouldn't take off, words run together or missed altogether, etc. We had a Marsden ball hanging from our ceiling, stickers on the door for activities, push - pins in rulers and red/green glasses. We went to therapy 2X per week for about 6 months and did daily therapy at home - but took Sunday off. It was so fun reading that as I could picture the real sense of a day of rest when Sunday came around and we weren't struggling with exercises that my daughter claimed were making her eyes worse!
We have not had to do any maintenance, fortunately, as I don't know if I could cope due to others in therapy and working with a high schooler - but we have purchased some things for games and with everyone in our house having had suppression problems, we have ordered a special deck of cards and red/green glasses for the whole family. Card night at our house may look very funny! We're hoping to shorten therapy time once some of our others get their turn.
Our 2 yo is so funny. A few of our boys are also far-sighted and have to wear reading glasses for school work and therapy, so now the 2 yo thinks those things go together. Fortunately we found a pair of empty frames that he wears for "his therapy" and "school" so he can be just like everybody else. This was better than mailing our glasses in every other week for repairs after the 2yo tried to put them on.
Janet
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TracyQ Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005 Location: New York
Online Status: Offline Posts: 1323
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Posted: May 24 2005 at 8:44am | IP Logged
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Janet,
How cute about your 2yo needing glasses for *school*. It was so neat to read your story, as it mimics ours so much!
__________________ Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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