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Vision Therapy For Children With Special Needs


Being the parent of a child with special needs has both rewarding and challenging aspects, especially when it comes to prioritizing your little one’s eye care and visual needs.

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In the US, public school data reveals that approximately 14% of all students aged 3 to 21 receive special education services (this doesn’t reflect privately educated special needs children). Many of these children display certain behaviors thought to be caused by their disability but may actually stem from an undetected and underlying vision problem.

Conditions and disabilities are categorized into four main areas:

  • Developmental — Down syndrome, autism, dyslexia, and processing disorders
  • Behavioral/Emotional — ADHD, mental health, or oppositional defiant disorder
  • Physical — Muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, chronic asthma, and epilepsy
  • Sensory Impaired — Blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hearing-impaired



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Vision Conditions and Special Needs

Thirty-five different areas of the brain are involved in processing visual information and as much as 80% of sensory information is relayed through the visual system. This means that problems with the neuro-visual system can affect a child’s ability to read, write, and complete other daily tasks. Children with special needs are more likely to have vision problems than others. Examples include:

  • Nearsightedness (myopia)
  • Farsightedness (hyperopia)
  • Eye turns (strabismus)
  • Eye focusing (accommodation)
  • Lazy eye (amblyopia)
  • Eye teaming and tracking
  • Binocular coordination
  • Depth perception
  • Visual information-processing

The team at Opto-mization NeuroVisual Performance is experienced with working with special needs children and can help your child improve their visual skills and reach their full potential.

Eye Exams for Children with Special Needs

Children with special needs often have higher prescriptions and may experience reduced clarity, even when wearing the ideal prescriptions. 

 

If your child has special needs, we recommend a comprehensive evaluation of your child’s visual skills. This will allow us to prescribe vision therapy, if necessary, and corrective lenses that will offer the clearest vision possible.

We aim to help your child feel safe and comfortable throughout the entire process, and create a warm and positive atmosphere in our eye care center. Just let our friendly staff know how we can accommodate your child’s preferences and needs. 

Eyeglasses for Special Needs Children

In the past few years, the range of glasses for children with special needs has expanded to offer a variety of options. Children with Down syndrome, who often have distinct facial and nasal structures that make it difficult to fit them with frames, can now enjoy custom-fit glasses that can be adjusted at the bridge and temples to prevent constant slipping. Additionally, frame designs incorporate lightweight plastics and flexible materials to enhance comfort.

Hi-index, photochromatic, and bifocals are lens options that offer clear and comfortable vision.

Vision Therapy For Children With Special Needs

Vision therapy is a personalized treatment program that enhances visual skills by teaching the brain and the eyes to communicate and work well together through a series of exercises, tools, and aids. 

Eye-tracking, focusing, eye teaming, hand-eye coordination, and visual processing speed are some visual skills improved by vision therapy.

How Does Vision Therapy Work?

Vision therapy consists of eye exercises, lenses, prisms, filters, occluders, and other equipment used to improve brain-eye connections.

In addition to regular in-office sessions, your child can engage in vision therapy activities at home on the computer or tablet. 

We know how expensive treatments for a special needs child can be, which is why to ensure your peace of mind, we offer a 100% money-back guarantee for our vision therapy programs. Schedule a functional vision exam with us and we’ll create an effective vision therapy program to help your child reach their full potential.

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