Myomancy ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism

Its obvious that if a child has poor eyesight they will struggle in school. This is why many concerned parents’ first steps is to have their child’s eyes examined. Unfortunately visual acuity (what is tested using the standard ‘can you read the bottom line’ eye-test) is not the only visual problem that can effect learning. In the 1996 study The Vision Screening of Academically & Behaviorally At-Risk Pupils, published in the Journal of Behavioral Optometry, the researchers put eighty one ‘at risk’ students through a battery of tests. The students ranged from elementary school pupils to high school pupils. Thirty three of the students were in special or alternative schools due to their behavioral problems. The remaining students were in mainstream education. All students were considered ‘at risk’ of unsatisfactory academic achievement. The test involved:

Tracking: the ability to move the eyes across a sheet of paper

Fusion: the ability to use both eyes together at the same time

Acuity-Distance: visual acuity (sharpness, clearness) at 20 feet distance

Stereopis: binocular depth perception

Acuity-Near: near visual acuity for a short distance (specifically, the reading distance)

Convergence: the ability of the eyes to move and work as a team

Hyperopia: a refractive condition that makes it difficult to focus, especially at near viewing distances

Color Vision: the ability to differentiate colors

Visual Motor Integration: the ability to transform images from a vertical to a horizontal plane

Out of all the students, 85% failed at least one test and of the thirty three alternatively schooled students, 97% failed one or more tests. Over a third failed the tracking test, a vital skill in reading. With these results it is obvious that visual problems are prevalent in under-achieving children. So if you are having your child’s eye-sight checked, talk to the optometrist or optician about what is actually being tested and insist that tracking, stereopis and visual motor integration are covered.
See also: Visual Field Testing, Vision & Reading, ADD/ADHD, VISION & LEARNING