Visual Processing Disorder

[JCat]

I was reading the Fast ForWord thread and there was more useful info available in it on auditory processing disorder resources than I'd been able to find on my own in a year. Does anyone have any info on resources for helping a child with visual processing disorder? As in books, apps, computer programs etc? All I've ever found is one sad book and a place that offers vision therapy that my insurance won't cover. Thanks in advance!

[inmypjs]

I was reading the Fast ForWord thread and there was more useful info available in it on auditory processing disorder resources than I'd been able to find on my own in a year. Does anyone have any info on resources for helping a child with visual processing disorder? As in books, apps, computer programs etc? All I've ever found is one sad book and a place that offers vision therapy that my insurance won't cover. Thanks in advance!

My son has visual processing problems. Vision therapy and OT are the 2 professional services that may help. You have to find an OT that works on it though. Ours did a more in depth screening based on what I described and asked for. Vision therapy was helpful for my son. He had massive convergence insufficiency that is noticeably better now. We also did not have insurance and it was a lot of $. There is a web site called eyecanlearn.com that has visual exercises. Critical Thinking Press also makes 2 levels of Visual Perceptual Skill workbooks. Finally even after vision therapy, my son scored very low on visual perceptual activities like visual discrimination and figure/ground tasks. Where's Waldo type books are good for that, and the vision therapist said cognitive computer programs like Brainware Safari help too. Hope that gives you some ideas.

[JCat]

Thank you so much!!! It has been VERY hard to find help for this. Even harder than finding things for his Auditory Processing Disorder. I've been trying to help him and signing him up for activities that he likes that might help and though there has been improvement I think some more structured work would help too. Checking out everything you told me now.

[inmypjs]

I totally agree! It is super hard. One other thing I discovered - if you have your child tested for ADD/ADHD and they do the computerized test where they watch numbers or letters go across the screen, be aware the results will be off. Because if your child can't track or follow the numbers very well, they will do really badly on the test. My DS did so badly on that portion that the results were considered invalid.

One other thing - you might look into Irlen Syndrome and the book 'Reading by the Colors' by Helen Irlen. It's kind of controversial, as in some people don't buy into the theory, but I do know one child whose life was completely changed by the use of colored lenses. My son and my Dad prefer to read with colored overlays as they say it reduces their eye strain and keeps the text from moving as much.

[Gena]

One other thing - you might look into Irlen Syndrome and the book 'Reading by the Colors' by Helen Irlen. It's kind of controversial, as in some people don't buy into the theory, but I do know one child whose life was completely changed by the use of colored lenses. My son and my Dad prefer to read with colored overlays as they say it reduces their eye strain and keeps the text from moving as much.

Colored overlays can help with lots of different issues and are worth looking into. DS uses yellow overlays to reduce glare and help with eye strain/fatigue.

DS doesn't have a visual processing disorder. He is mildly vision impaired due to albinism. Even with this medical diagnosis, it was a fight to get vision-related supports and accommodations written into his IEP.

[JCat]

I actually read that book! My son is Hyperlexic, but would never read books. When I was helping him learn how to talk I noticed that black ink on white paper hurt his eyes so I had to figure out what that was as well. Having the Visual Processing Disorder too is a double whammy. Right now he uses tinted reading guide strips but I'm hoping to improve the visual processing at least a little too. I never thought about the ADHD test before either. Thank you everyone!!!

[Gena]

My son is Hyperlexic, but would never read books. When I was helping him learn how to talk I noticed that black ink on white paper hurt his eyes so I had to figure out what that was as well. Having the Visual Processing Disorder too is a double whammy.

I understand the difficulties. DS is hyperlexic and vision impaired. It's not just that he loves to read, he is compelled to read - but he gets frustrated by his visual problems. We have to explain to his teachers and therapists that he is a visual learner with vision impairment. It makes for a lot of challenges. Thankfully, last year they were really good with things like using less complicated graphics, putting fewer math problems on a page, reducing glare, printing things on buff colored paper, enlarging things when needed, using the colored overlays, etc.

[JCat]

Oh gees. My Ds is only five and I never thought of all this stuff. He definitely has the same situation going on. Right now if there are too many things on a page he won't even look. He goes around the world reading signs and labels everywhere instead.