Chang-Bing Huang, of the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, Anhui, China, and colleagues analyzed data from 10 teenagers and adults with unilateral anisometropic amblyopia and 21 with normal or corrected normal vision; the latter participants were put into two control groups. The researchers provided training at a single spatial frequency and measured sensitivity to sinewave gratings of various spatial frequencies before and after the training.

For amblyopic participants, training improved visual acuities in affected and fellow eyes, but not in the control groups. For selected members in the amblyopic group and one control group who had significant performance improvement at the training frequency, the bandwidth of perceptual learning was very different: the average full bandwidth was 4.04±0.63 octaves in the amblyopic group and only 1.40±0.30 octaves for the normal observers.

“We suggest re-evaluating the conventional wisdom for treating amblyopes: that passing the critical period results in a fully (though erroneously) developed visual system that is immune to therapeutic modifications. The current study, together with several others, demonstrates that the adult amblyopic visual system remains remarkably plastic, and perceptual learning could lead to substantial improvements of spatial vision in adult amblyopia,” the authors conclude.

An invitation to

Family members of special education and general education students
Special education teachers and support personnel
General education teachers and support personnel
School administrators
School board members
Vested community members

Topic: Visual Processing and Interventions

Time and Location: 7:00-9:00 pm

Educational Services Center,
401 East Hancock Street, Lansdale, PA 19446.

Light Refreshments are served.

§ Learn that vision is more than just 20/20
§ Learn how developmental vision issues can affect a child/student’s ability to process
information and relate to the school and home environment
§ Learn interventions to support the child/student in order to help the child process
incoming visual information accurately
§ Become familiar with NPSEC
§ Network: Meet new people and catch up with old friends

DEAR ABBY: Please help me get the word out about a common condition that severely affects children’s ability to succeed in school because it inhibits reading, spelling and concentration.

My daughter, who was obviously bright, tested at first-grade reading level in fifth grade. She had undergone all the school testing for learning disabilities, plus two days of testing at a respected university hospital. None of these tests or specialists revealed what could be wrong with her.

My child’s self-esteem suffered. Her confidence faltered; she began acting out in school. At home she was a great kid, until it came time for schoolwork. Then the battles began. She thought she was dumb. When studying, she could read for only a very short time. She often begged me to read things to her. When working on spelling and assigned to rewrite the words she missed five times, she often recopied them wrong. We thought she just wasn’t trying.

After much research on the Internet, I came across a disorder called “convergence insufficiency disorder.” This visual condition is the leading cause of eyestrain. Fortunately, we had the opportunity to have her tested at the Mayo Clinic, where her condition was confirmed, and she was successfully treated with vision therapy.

It was as though a miracle had occurred. After six months of treatment, my daughter is almost at her age-appropriate reading level. Her comprehension and retention have markedly increased, and her self-esteem and attitude about reading are much better.

Children with this condition will not benefit from tutoring, special education or extra help from teachers until the condition is diagnosed and treated. My child had 20/20 vision and still had this disorder. It’s not routinely checked with eye exams, and schools don’t test for it.

I suspect that many children out there are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed and going untreated. The treatment for convergence insufficiency disorder is noninvasive, effective, and much of it can be done at home. Please help me get the word out so other families won’t have to go through what we experienced. — ANGIE W. IN MINNESOTA

How could my daughter, a bright, articulate, 7-year old who could paint ‘Starry Night’ by Van Gogh, speak two languages and sing with perfect pitch not be able to read? I just didn’t understand.

Chelsea did well in preschool and kindergarten. There was no sign of anything wrong. The eye doctor and the pediatrician both said that she had ‘a small drifting lazy eye’, but not to worry because her ‘vision’ was good. Little did I know that what they called ‘vision’ was only ‘eye-sight’.

In 1st grade, Chelsea did well until after Christmas vacation, when her schoolwork seemed more intensive. It was painful to watch and hear her read. Chelsea became very frustrated and started to hate school. She didn’t want to get up in the morning.

She couldn’t comprehend anything she read. (Even sentences she had read just seconds before.) She traced lines with her finger to keep her place and put words together that were meant to be apart. She held her books very close to her eyes and was constantly fidgeting in her seat. She lacked confidence. She procrastinated with homework because it took 3 hours to do. It became a frustration nightmare for my husband and myself.

I wrote a note of concern to Chelsea’s teacher and asked to meet with her. We felt something was very wrong with Chelsea, but we couldn’t pinpoint what is it was. The teacher couldn’t either. Things weren’t clicking. Maybe she has ADD or ADHD? She exhibited some of the symptoms, but something about the ADD label just didn’t sit right with me.

My gut instincts kept me from physically getting her tested. I hated the fact that I might label my child and I refused to believe that my wonderful child had ADD. Still, I was extremely concerned that she was falling behind the rest of the class while I kept waiting for an answer. But, I held steadfast to my intuition and prayed for Divine intervention. It was the only thing I had to hold onto at that moment. I didn’t know how or where the answer would come from. I just knew in my heart that it would.

Amazingly enough, while Chelsea’s teacher was going through her files, she came across an article from 4 years ago. The article was entitled; 20/20 Vision May Not Be Good Enough. The article stressed the distinction between sight and vision. It also explained why some children who had perfect vision were having such trouble in school.

The article spoke about the Vision Development Center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. A wonderful place where the doctors test the eyes to make sure they work together properly and can possibly rule out ADD and ADHD. It’s kind of a one-stop shop; they have eye doctors, psychologists, vision therapists, occupational therapists, and they sometimes make house calls for children with disabilities.

They work with people of all ages.

We scheduled an appointment immediately and had Chelsea tested at the Vision Development Center. My husband and I were devastated to learn the extent of Chelsea learning disabilities but at least we had an answer and a place to start. The doctor told us that Chelsea needed to be in a remedial program.

She was diagnosed with several vision problems, not ADD or ADHD, and these vision problems were leading to serious learning disabilities.

We explained to Chelsea that her eyes weren’t working together. We told her that her one eye wanted to do ballet and the other eye wanted to play soccer. She seemed to understand. We told her that the vision therapy program would take away her headaches and blurry vision and help her to read better. She had been so frustrated, that frankly, she seemed relieved and eager to start her sessions. The therapists used games and she wore funny glasses. They made it fun for her to retrain her eyes. We were both relieved to know we could fight this battle and win.

Three months have passed and my husband and I are astounded at Chelsea’s progress. She no longer has headaches, blurry vision or double vision when she reads. She is like a different child. She likes school and tells us she loves her new teacher in second grade.

The National PTA adopted a resolution in June of 1999 that school nurses should test for more than just 20/20 vision, yet rarely do they. I was a lucky parent. With the help of a wonderful and caring teacher, we found our answer.

Vision problems can manifest themselves as learning disabilities and sometimes have the same symptoms as ADHD. Children with the vision disorder, Convergence Insufficiency, an inability to focus at close range, may be misdiagnosed as having ADHD.

According to David B. Garnet, MD in an ‘April 2000’ article in Science Daily entitled: Ophthalmologists Discover Relationship Between Eye Condition and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; “We showed that children with the disorder, Convergence Insufficiency are three times as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children without the disorder. This is the first time such a relationship has been identified between these two disorders.” Not so; The Doctors at the Vision Development Center have known about this for years.

For more information, additional locations, or to make an appointment at the Vision Development Center to have your child evaluated, phone 610-783-1331.

I suspected that my daughter Shari was a perfectionist when she was around 5 years old.  Not that perfectionism is necessarily a bad thing; I just didn’t like watching the frustration level arise in her every time she sat at the kitchen table and tried to write or do a craft project.  Sometimes her frustration would escalate to the point that she would hit her forehead a couple of times with her fist, and cry out “I can’t get it right!” Interestingly, these were self-initiated projects, with no external pressure to perform. As a parent, I was concerned for her physical and emotional well being. I hated seeing her so upset.  Reassuring her that her work was all right never had any effect; she insisted that it wasn’t.

Because I suspected a possible visual problem with her older sister, Joanna, I made an appointment at the Vision Development Center. My friend, who was a specialist in education, had recommended them.  While I was there, both children had routine visual screenings.  I had been correct to suspect a problem with Joanna’s vision, and she underwent vision therapy for a short period of time and later had eye surgery to complete the correction.

The surprise was that Shari also had a problem.  Although she didn’t have significant physiological vision problems, her visual-perceptual abilities were only at the 10th percentile. Now I could understand.  She had a conception in her mind about what she wanted to produce, and she couldn’t produce it!  That would be exceedingly frustrating, indeed.

She underwent therapy and her perception improved to the 40th percentile, which was considered sufficient for her to function successfully. I also noticed that, thankfully, Shari no longer got frustrated when doing close, detailed work and no longer hit herself on the head.

Well, my little girl has grown up.  To my surprise, a few art and design courses taken in college and an enjoyment of doing crafts has led to her having her own business.  She has been creating hand painted glassware, gift items and baby clothes, which she sells to stores and directly to consumers. (You can check this out at her website: www.shariz.com, if interested.)

The best thing is that she is happy.  She left the frustration behind at the Vision Development Center.

At the Vision Development Center we take pride in our reputation for seeing each child as a unique individual with special talents and gifts.  We work with many children who face a variety of challenges from Developmental Delays to Learning Disabilities, ADD/ADHD etc.  All of these children have expressed how much they enjoy their time here because they are appreciated for their individuality and not viewed as a “diagnosis”.  Unfortunately, all too often this is not a common experience for many of them in their daily lives.  It is truly a joy to see these children explore and expand their abilities as they develop the skills whose absence had made efficient learning and adequate attention so difficult for them.

For more information, additional locations, or to make an appointment at the Vision Development Center to have your child evaluated, phone 610-783-1331

My oldest daughter, Anya was adopted from Russia when she was almost 6 years old. She is a great kid who came with a few challenges. She had been diagnosed with a language delay in Russia, and although, she learned to speak English very quickly, she often mixed up words and couldn’t learn to read at all.

By age 9 she still could not read. I believed that she had a vision problem because sometimes her eyes didn’t look straight. Since, I had a vision problem as a child, which was fixed by vision therapy (VT), I tried to find someone to provide Anya with Vision Therapy.

Finally we discovered the Vision Development Center. Anya began Vision Therapy and within the first month to 6 weeks jumped from a kindergarten level to the first grade reading level. Anya was finally able to read!

By the time she finished the treatment regimen, she was reading on the 2^nd grade level. She went from hating school to loving it. Her teachers said she could now focus better.

Anya’s sister Zoya, who was also adopted from Russia, has also benefited from Vision Therapy at the Vision Development Center. At age 3 ½ her eyes crossed and she held everything upside down. She even watched TV upside down.

We wasted no time and started Vision Therapy when she turned 4. Today she has just turned 6 and is one of the best readers in her Kindergarten class. She is reading on the first grade level.

Anya, in addition, had learning disabilities. Her memory was very poor and she could not remember any math facts. She processed information so slowly, that at age10, her performance was that of a 4-year-old.

So, we began PACE (an intense 12-week, one-on-one processing and cognitive enhancement program) which was perfect for the summer months. She loved this program and we could see results immediately. Her reading improved even more, and she could now memorize math facts.

By the end of the PACE program, Anya was in a new school, which placed her according to her tested ability. She tested at the high 4^th grade level in math, 3^rd grade in reading and at the 5^th grade level on every other subject. She had started the previous year at the kindergarten level!

Anya’s IQ was also tested before and after PACE. She gained about 20 IQ points after completing the PACE program.

I believe that the lives of both of my children have been changed for the better as a result of vision therapy. In addition, my oldest daughter benefited from the PACE program, which is also available at the Vision Development Center in King of Prussia.

I don’t know what would have happened to my two girls without Vision Therapy. We had tried everything else to help Anya, but Vision Therapy and PACE worked the best. As a teacher and a psychotherapist, I do not hesitate to recommend Vision Therapy or PACE for children who are having learning difficulties.

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For more information, or to make an appointment, phone 610-783-1331.

The cognitive aspects of executive function are primarily located in the anterior frontal cortex, whereas spatial organization occurs more dorsally; verbal memory and organization are localized more internally. Anticipatory, or expectant waiting, aspects of executive function are managed in the cingulate gyrus. The ability to interpret visual experience — an important component in executive learning — is processed in the posterior visual cortex.

For information about how our PACE program is specifically designed to increase attention and executive function visit out PACE site here.