If your child had vision therapy...how do you know it worked?

[Samiam]

How do you know that the vision therapy helped or that it was just a matter of your child's body/brain maturing into the situation and fixing itself?

 

I've always operated with the thought that DS11 was dyslexic...he showed many of the signs when I'd go to the various websites to research it.  He was a preemie, 29 weeker, so delays in various forms have always been part of "his thing".   Mostly physical delays, late roller, late crawler, late walker, speech therapy, cognitive therapy....all of these things were in the baby/toddler years, and he seemd to balance out by 5-ish....pretty much as expected.   BUT then as we started the education process, it was quite obvious that he was a different kind of learner...and as he got older and I did more research, dyslexia become the answer.   I never bothered to have him tested, because our plan is to always homeschool him, so no need for a official diagnosis at this point in our lives.   

 

But the a miracle happened....just as he's always done...life clicked for him at his pace...by 10 1/2 he suddenly began reading for real!  Within a few months, he had gone to Level 1 Readers to asking for, and reading The Hobbit.  Read Harry Potter books in a few weeks (I know some will read these in a few days...but for him to finish a 700+ book in a few weeks...amazing!!)  Now, at this point, he's a full on official reader.    It clicked for him.

 

So the point of this:  Last month, I was taking DS8 to Speech Therapy...it's in a office that offers different therapies, and as I sat there, a therapist came out and was talking to another parent about the child's vision therapy  (I know, from reading here, that vision issues can often seem likes signs of dyslexia...vision issues that an eye glass Dr won't see, but one has to go to a special Vision Therapy Dr...so this was always in the back of my mind for my son..but I also knew it was very expensive).  I chatted with the Vision Therapist about my son and long story short, he came in for testing and of course they see an issue.   They said he has "Convergence"...where the eyes are not focusing on the same spot/thing...so then one eye (right eye for him) basically just stops "working", almost like that's a blind spot....and the left eye does all the work.   It's not something one could see happening by looking at him...not like he's going cross-eyed or anything...something that is happening behind the scenes.     I was in the room when they did the testing...and I could see what he was looking at...but don't know what answers he was "supposed" to give in terms of getting it right or wrong.   He's going once a week for vision therapy.  It's very expensive, $100 a week!  OUCH!   That's not even private therapy as often there will be other children in the room doing various forms of vision therapy (computer stuff here, game on the table over here, etc).  

 

They've given me a plan of 27 lessons, and they should be able to fix this.    I've been thinking...how do I even know if this is an real issue...if they are fixing it...if this is some sort of scam?  He doesn't necessarily know to verbalize if there is an issue, or if the issue is fixed, because apparently IF this is the issue, it's always been happening and he doesn't know any differently.    So at this point, I have to believe them that there is an issue, that they are fixing it, and that the fix is done in 27 lessons.   It's not something my son can confirm, it's not something that I can see or confirm.   I mean, what if this is just another thing that his brain will click on it's own, when it's ready.  Frankly for the homework they send home, I'm almost thinking this is something we could work on at home....granted I wouldn't know if the issue is fixed...but then again...I'm only taking their word that this issue is real, and/or fixed.

 

So Vision therapy...if your child went through this...could you or your child actually confirm, without a doubt, that 1. there was an issue, and 2. the therapy solved the issue?

[Tammi K]

 

So Vision therapy...if your child went through this...could you or your child actually confirm, without a doubt, that 1. there was an issue, and 2. the therapy solved the issue?

 Both my daughter and I had convergence problems. I had vision therapy and daughter wore prismatic lenses for a time along with some at home excercises. For both of us treatment made a significant difference.

 

In my case, I was 16 before the problem was treated so I was well aware of the disturbance in my visual filed so I know it was a 'real' issue. I was working so hard to force convergence that my eyes would cross and I would see double. Therapy was a tremendous help. Sixteen was a long time ago so I don't remember all of the specifics but I recall it was about 4 months of weekly sessions with daily 'homework'.  I do recall that I had a lot of migraines during he treatment. It really is hard work.

 

In my daughter's case, I recognized that she was starting to walk with a slight lean and she couldn't seem to figure out how to hold her head to read a book. In addition, although she was tested to have a high IQ and was a wiz at math, she still wasn't reading at 9. We put it all together and decided that some vision testing was in order.  Within a few weeks of getting her prismatic lenses she suddenly started reading. Her posture straightened and she was less clumsy.

 

I feel certain that therapy was beneficial for both of us.

 

[Slartibartfast]

I had vision therapy when I was in about 2nd grade, it worked well for me.

[clemota]

DD12 has her last appointment this Thursday (yay!)  We've noticed improvement in sports, less fatigue/grouchiness at the end of our school day, the ability to read for hours without a headache (she's a stealth dyslexic and a voracious reader).  Her overall tracking is better.  And the most interesting thing; she's gone from drawing/sketching at a 5-year old level, to drawing at a closer age level - probably more like 10, and still improving!)

 

We're just starting to work on handwriting as she has dysgraphia as well.  That may still take much longer - but it's not necessarily connected to vision issues.  I'm just hoping, especially after seeing the artwork improve, that it might be.

[Tess in the Burbs]

My dd got to the point reading gave her headaches after 5 min. After therapy she can do school and extra fun reading with no headaches. It worked for her. However, we were told she would need more help every few years, even into adulthood. It didn't cure the issue. It helped her muscles do a better job than they had been

[Ottakee]

My nephew went from a non reader to reading at and above grade level within a year of vision therapy.  For him it was highly dramatic.  He was even featured on several news clips on vision therapy.  I just can't link it but you can google Great News Story on Vision Therapy to see the clips and read what he wrote.

[NotSoObvious]

She only did it for three months before we moved. She went from skipping around all over the page to finally reading chapter books fluently.

It didn't cure her problem, but it helped train her eyes.

[wapiti]

OP you might also want to ask on the Learning Challenges board where VT is discussed very often.

[Samiam]

Thank you for all the info on your experience....I will head over to that recommended forum as well!

[PeterPan]

Well I'm a huge advocate of VT and hang on LC.  Your question really needs to go back to the doc doing the eval, because it was HIS job to explain what the problem was and why you need it and connect it to your symptoms.  It's also possible to be a very good reader (my dd was) and have issues with convergence, etc. etc.  You might not even be *realizing* the problems they're causing till the problems improve.

 

VT is something that responds to the work you put into it.  A 27 week quote upfront seems kind of long to me if there's little going on.  We finished our work for convergence, focusing, depth perception, etc. etc. in 3 months.  Is part of that going to cover visual processing?  Visual processing is stuff like visual memory, figure/ground, form completion, etc. We did the convergence, depth perception, etc. etc. etc. for three months and then visual processing for 3 months.  Some practitioners blend them.  It's something you can ask.  Write down the fancy words they'll use (saccades, accommodation, etc.) and look them up.

 

If you need to get the price down, talk with them about doing more homework and less frequent sessions.  We found the therapist could accomplish in one session what took us a week to do.  That means you definitely can cut your time in therapy by working consistently, just can slow things down.

 

The reason they do therapy with a room full of people is because he needs to be able to use his vision skills with distractions.  It isn't enough just to be able to do the skills in isolation.  Our therapist tells the story of an adult who would only come in during the evenings because she was embarrassed.  The therapist turned on a radio!  You have to be able to use the vision skills when distracted.

 

Although I understand your skepticism, convergence is a pretty basic thing to demonstrate.  It probably *is* affecting him in ways you don't realize, and you might as well get it treated now that you know.  Up until my dd was 10/11, we didn't realize she had developmental vision problems underlying her oddities.  She had never mentioned anything but when she talked with the therapist stuff started coming out.  If you have a dc with other SN, his sensory may be off and the way he self-perceives may be off.  He may not REALIZE the symptoms of his convergence issues because he may not sense or interpret them correctly.  So you can't go *only* on what he says in a situation like that.  

 

These docs generally are good about being straight and not telling people problems exist that don't exist.  If you doubt the accuracy of the diagnosis, go to a 2nd doc for a 2nd opinion.  I think that would be totally, totally reasonable.  A 2nd doc could screen him in short order and verify what the other doc is claiming.  Also, don't forget to use email or call and TALK with them.  Let THEM explain to you why he needs this.  That's their job.

[SKL]

• I could see her eyes functioning together more efficiently.
• She no longer told me things were moving around on the page.
• Her academic improvement was much more than normal for the time period.
• She went from not being able to draw a circle to being able to neatly print her name within weeks.  (age 4)
• She had been very slow to learn letters and numbers before, but she quickly caught up during/shortly after VT.  She was recruited for early kindergarten.

Too much of a "coincidence" for me personally.  I don't regret having spent the time and money on therapy.  I should actually be doing more of it, I just need to find the time.

[kbutton]

How do you know that the vision therapy helped or that it was just a matter of your child's body/brain maturing into the situation and fixing itself?

 

I could do various things, such move a pencil toward his nose, and see his eyes do the wrong thing prior to therapy. As he's done therapy, I can see him gain eye control that he didn't have before.

 

I've always operated with the thought that DS11 was dyslexic...he showed many of the signs when I'd go to the various websites to research it.  He was a preemie, 29 weeker, so delays in various forms have always been part of "his thing".   Mostly physical delays, late roller, late crawler, late walker, speech therapy, cognitive therapy....all of these things were in the baby/toddler years, and he seemd to balance out by 5-ish....pretty much as expected.   BUT then as we started the education process, it was quite obvious that he was a different kind of learner...and as he got older and I did more research, dyslexia become the answer.   I never bothered to have him tested, because our plan is to always homeschool him, so no need for a official diagnosis at this point in our lives.   

 

But the a miracle happened....just as he's always done...life clicked for him at his pace...by 10 1/2 he suddenly began reading for real!  Within a few months, he had gone to Level 1 Readers to asking for, and reading The Hobbit.  Read Harry Potter books in a few weeks (I know some will read these in a few days...but for him to finish a 700+ book in a few weeks...amazing!!)  Now, at this point, he's a full on official reader.    It clicked for him.

 

So the point of this:  Last month, I was taking DS8 to Speech Therapy...it's in a office that offers different therapies, and as I sat there, a therapist came out and was talking to another parent about the child's vision therapy  (I know, from reading here, that vision issues can often seem likes signs of dyslexia...vision issues that an eye glass Dr won't see, but one has to go to a special Vision Therapy Dr...so this was always in the back of my mind for my son..but I also knew it was very expensive).  I chatted with the Vision Therapist about my son and long story short, he came in for testing and of course they see an issue.   They said he has "Convergence"...where the eyes are not focusing on the same spot/thing...so then one eye (right eye for him) basically just stops "working", almost like that's a blind spot....and the left eye does all the work.   It's not something one could see happening by looking at him...not like he's going cross-eyed or anything...something that is happening behind the scenes.     I was in the room when they did the testing...and I could see what he was looking at...but don't know what answers he was "supposed" to give in terms of getting it right or wrong.   He's going once a week for vision therapy.  It's very expensive, $100 a week!  OUCH!   That's not even private therapy as often there will be other children in the room doing various forms of vision therapy (computer stuff here, game on the table over here, etc).  

 

From what you've said, it sounds very much like reading may have "clicked" for your son because his brain started suppressing vision in one eye.  Our COVD doc was surprised that my son was asymptomatic until recently and didn't have trouble reading. She suspected that once he started getting pages with tiny print and crowded words, he would start having symptoms, and that is what happened. Otherwise, his major symptoms were in regard to catching balls or other things thrown to him. He could not see where the ball was when it got close, but he didn't know that's what was happening to tell us. It's AMAZING to see how much better he can catch.

 

They've given me a plan of 27 lessons, and they should be able to fix this.    I've been thinking...how do I even know if this is an real issue...if they are fixing it...if this is some sort of scam?  He doesn't necessarily know to verbalize if there is an issue, or if the issue is fixed, because apparently IF this is the issue, it's always been happening and he doesn't know any differently.    So at this point, I have to believe them that there is an issue, that they are fixing it, and that the fix is done in 27 lessons.   It's not something my son can confirm, it's not something that I can see or confirm.   I mean, what if this is just another thing that his brain will click on it's own, when it's ready.  Frankly for the homework they send home, I'm almost thinking this is something we could work on at home....granted I wouldn't know if the issue is fixed...but then again...I'm only taking their word that this issue is real, and/or fixed.

 

Our COVD doc does up to about 24 sessions, but it's done in six-week increments with progress checks and tweaking to the schedule as needed. My son's issues were mild, he worked his rear off to do the homework, and he didn't have nearly as many problems with rhythm that a lot of kids who need VT have, so he is probably finishing up this week after nine sessions. If your son's brain is blocking vision in one eye in self-defense, he may need a serious course of therapy. I would definitely ask if this is what's happening, and if so, how likely he is to regain vision in that eye (my guess is that he is blocking vision in that eye for certain tasks, but maybe it's all the time).

 

So Vision therapy...if your child went through this...could you or your child actually confirm, without a doubt, that 1. there was an issue, and 2. the therapy solved the issue? Absolutely. We could see (at least part of the time) that his eyes weren't working together, and she also demonstrated that during testing. And we can see a big difference in his eye control. I would ask your doc to demonstrate a few things for you to show you what's happening.

 

[Tiramisu]

In studies, convergence insufficiency is often fixed by 12 weeks in most patients. So 27 weeks does seem long.

 

Convergence insufficiency is well studied. If insurance is going to pay for VT at all, it will usually pay when there is a dx of CI.

 

The OP said "of course" he found a problem. Well, that shouldn't be the case or you shouldn't feel that way, though it's not the first time I've heard it. I have three kids with visual problems. For only one of them did the VT doc recommend VT, and her problem had been picked up by our regular optometrist first. Her tracking was fixed by 11 weeks and CI at 13 weeks. The same doc told me it was better to wait and see when I wanted to make an appointment for an evaluation for another dd. Her problem was picked up by an OT who taught her in coop. She has handwriting issues but reads very well. Another dd's problems can't be helped with VT according to the VT doc. Our covd doc has proven himself to be honest, and many other moms and specialists speak well of him. I'm curious about what your speech therapist thinks of the vision therapist you met with. If he shares the office with other people getting therapy, they might have opinions.

 

The first half of our original 12 week VT session was unpleasant to say the least; it was obviously challenging dd. The last half was much easier. She stopped having as many errors in math. Her handwriting became much neater. But the strange thing is that overall, she became more pleasant. She has by far the easiest temperament of all my kids but she became even nicer to interact with. I think it's because life was easier for her with her visual system functioning more efficiently and it made everything she did less stressful and that was reflected in her interactions with others.

 

I am soooo glad we did VT when we did. We got it done shortly before her high school placement tests and she rocked them. She was recommended for all honor's classes, even honor's lit though she never been a lit kid. She had to start reading some heavy classics over the summer for her class and I wonder if that would have been as easy if we hadn't done the VT. She had been notorious for weak comprehension of longer works.

[Slartibartfast]

 

 

 

If kids have handwriting issues one might also look at joint hypermobility, there are writing aids one can get to help them.

[Tiramisu]

If your dd has handwriting issues does she also have joint hypermobility?

 

There are special writing aids one can get for that issue.

 Yes, in fact, both dd's with confirmed or suspected CI also have hypermobility. 

 

One problem is that they also both have SPD (hypersensite type) and that really complicates the handwriting--pens and pencils have often felt "off" to them and make them reluctant writers. It also means that a lot of the interventions for handwriting are completely intolerable.

 

In particular, their strange spacing issues made it clear that a visual problem and not just SPD was impacting their writing. They both tended to start writing not at the left margin but closer toward the middle of the page and had/have irregular spacing between words and letters. OT testing seemed to show that it was not so much fine motor as I had thought for years but visually based.

 

I also have another dd with hypermobility who is a sensory seeker. She actually writes well and enjoys writing. I have not see the need to have her evaluated for VT.

 

When my dd who did VT was deciding whether or not to accept the placement into an honor's writing class, she said, "But I'm not good at writing." And I said, "You're going to get good at it fast." So far, so good. :)