What does LearningRX mean by Visual Processing

[Jean in Newcastle]

How is that the same or different than what is worked on by a vision therapist?  

[wapiti]

A vision therapist works (or should work - I wouldn't bother with a VT who didn't) under the direction of a COVD optometrist.  Certain VT activities that involve working with lenses and such would only be within the expertise of eye docs (and their subordinate VTs).

 

I don't know what LearningRx does - personally, I would be reluctant to see them for anything (we see individual specialists starting with an ed psych, who then refers out to the appropriate specialist such as a COVD).

[PeterPan]

LearningRX/PACE is cognitive therapy.  Our VT place does it, and they prefer to do it *after* VT.  That way you have the physical function, have everything physically in order, and then you go in and do the cognitive therapy trying to apply it to learning.  When a VT session works on visual processing, they're working on getting function.  The cognitive therapy takes that further and tries to improve your ability to use it to LEARN.  So they'll work on working memory, visualization, etc. etc. in lots of combined exercises. The therapist I talked with said they try to work on your *least* strong area to build it up.  

 

I'm with wapiti that it's not a replacement for VT and should be done *after*.  They *can* overlap a bit, but not much.  Our therapist threw some pace worksheets into our time toward the end, and they're HARD!  Frankly, we finally had to give up.  They said we needed more OT (to help chill the sensory stuff?) before she could handle it.  

 

If you have a physical vision problem, do the VT first.

[Tiramisu]

Vision therapy has to do with eye function, as OhE says, and the brain's control of the eyes.

 

Visual processing has to do what the brain does with the information it takes in from the eyes.

 

At least, that's my understanding. 

 

Our COVD fellow found a visual processing issue in my oldest that was confirmed in the neuropsych testing. He did not recommend vision therapy, explaining it as a deeper brain issue. My next one does have convergence insufficiency and a tracking problem. Since these have to do with eye function, she will be getting vision therapy. Depending on how things look after that, it might be worth looking deeper via an np eval to see if there are any processing issues.

[PeterPan]

A COVD doc can do VT for visual processing and should.  If your awesome COVD doc didn't want to, there's probably a reason and more he wasn't explaining.  Absolutely we did visual processing work in our VT.  They pulled some PACE/Learning RX stuff into it, but PACE goes farther and is more specific to how you use your vision and auditory and working memory to LEARN.  

[Tiramisu]

A COVD doc can do VT for visual processing and should.  If your awesome COVD doc didn't want to, there's probably a reason and more he wasn't explaining.  Absolutely we did visual processing work in our VT.  They pulled some PACE/Learning RX stuff into it, but PACE goes farther and is more specific to how you use your vision and auditory and working memory to LEARN.  

 

Thank you. This is good information.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thank you!  

[PeterPan]

Btw, how is your dh's job doing?  Any chance of getting VT soon, or is this all research for the future?

[Lecka]

Visual processing has a lot of sub-categories. I saw a list in a book once, with about 14-15 bullet points.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Btw, how is your dh's job doing?  Any chance of getting VT soon, or is this all research for the future?

Research for future.  He's supposed to be interviewing for another position this week.  But of course that doesn't mean anything definite.  

[PeterPan]

Jean, are you doing any metronome work with your kids?  I was thinking about you this morning and realized you should be!  It would be a GREAT thing to do the next couple months while you're waiting for all these changes with jobs, insurance, etc., and it will cost you almost nothing.  You need a metronome or metronome app or something that will tap to a steady beat.  54 bpm is ideal, but use a ticking clock if you don't can't get a metronome.  You literally just start by clapping with the metronome for 20 min.  Sounds terrible (and it is, hehe), but you will see SUPER huge changes doing this.  Heathermomster has put more complete instructions. DO this.  Learning RX is essentially addressing EF issues, and the metronome work is a huge start on that.  It will create a great foundation if you do LRX later, and you might get shocking bumps now doing it.  

 

After you've done Heather's instructions a while and things start to get easy, add in digit spans.  That's when it will really blow your mind, because you'll be doing working memory and bilateral brain function and motor control and EF and...  Super powerful stuff and it might give her a boost in her school work, ability to handle distractions, writing, etc.  That was what we were doing when my dd's writing took off last year, so I HIGHLY recommend.  Free, powerful, might give you great benefits in 2 months.  Do it!  :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

LOL - OK.  I do have a metronome.  

[PeterPan]

Good!  Then tell us how it goes.  :)

[AimeeM]

I'm not sure.

Be careful with that place please - around here, by most medical and educational professionals, they are considered something of a scam. We pursued it for a moment, before our dd's pediatrician told us to run after LearningRX "showed us" that dd12 had a low average IQ... which they could of course fix for many thousands of dollars... despite a previous assessment by an actual child psychologist (who did an entire assessment) showing the exact opposite (classified gifted; high IQ).

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm not sure.

Be careful with that place please - around here, by most medical and educational professionals, they are considered something of a scam. We pursued it for a moment, before our dd's pediatrician told us to run after LearningRX "showed us" that dd12 had a low average IQ... which they could of course fix for many thousands of dollars... despite a previous assessment by an actual child psychologist (who did an entire assessment) showing the exact opposite (classified gifted).

Interesting, Aimee.  

[AimeeM]

Interesting, Aimee.  

 

Noting that the previous (child psych) assessment had been done years prior, but we found out that there is no way for such a large deviation in scores to be valid, unless there had been trauma, etc.

I do know that they are franchises - some are good and some are bad. I don't mean to speak ill about all of them (just this one, lol).

 

Best of luck.

[LaughingCat]

I have heard that Pace, that LearningRx bought out, is worthwhile - but not for the price LearningRx charges.  If you can find a Pace provider, they are supposedly cheaper but much harder to find.  Also there is a COVD Dr., Dr. Stephy(?), that sells something that supposedly works similarly for a few hundred dollars.   

 

I have a Pace workbook I found at a library sale - it has various visual memory, left/right, tracking exercises  (as well as various auditory and other exercises and pretty much every exercise has level, usually made more intense by using a metronome).  

[PeterPan]

Yes, I totally think it could get hairy at these providers.  They test to tell you if you need it, sell you the expensive product, and then gauge their own success.  And they may or may not have any actual medical or educational background at all.

 

I found someone selling their learning rx packet once (I think?), but I didn't go for it.  May or may not have been a mistake.  I guess what I was blown away by was how good our therapist was and how much more intense and productive she could make the same thing than I could.  So I do think it *can* be worth doing with a really good therapist who knows what they're doing.  But if I found it at the thrift store for 50 cents, oh yeah I'd pick it up.  :)

[LaughingCat]

Mine was actually 25 cents :lol:  

I completely agree that a good therapist can do a lot more.  And my DD often seems to do better with hard stuff for an outside person too.  

But at some point it does become a cost issue - especially when it's not clear whether something really is the right path to be taking. And LearningRx does appear more out to gouge the desperate parent even if it is a good program. 

[PeterPan]

Mine was actually 25 cents :lol:  

I completely agree that a good therapist can do a lot more.  And my DD often seems to do better with hard stuff for an outside person too.  

But at some point it does become a cost issue - especially when it's not clear whether something really is the right path to be taking. And LearningRx does appear more out to gouge the desperate parent even if it is a good program. 

Well when you don't need that workbook anymore, remember who would love to have it...  :D