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  • Vision Therapy for Autism

Vision Therapy for Autism

  • Created in Newsletters

Young boy struggling to see while doing homework

Autism and Visual Problems in Children

Poor eye contact, clumsiness, difficulty with fine motor skills, and concentration issues common in children who have autism can actually be related to vision problems. Treating these problems with vision therapy may benefit your child both academically and socially.

Strabismus

Strabismus, a condition commonly referred to as "crossed" eyes, occurs when the eyes are misaligned. Due to the misalignment, the brain receives slightly different images from each eye and has difficulty creating one clear image. Misalignments don't have to be noticeable to affect your child's vision. Strabismus can cause depth perception problems, double vision, eyestrain, and headaches.

Does your child constantly tilt their head? They may have discovered that tilting makes it easier to use just one eye and avoid the vision issues that using both eyes cause. Issues with depth perception can also affect your child's motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and make it difficult to catch or throw a ball accurately.

Convergence Insufficiency Disorder

Both eyes must turn inward slightly when your child reads at the words on a page or looks closely at an object. If one eye doesn't turn inward at the same degree as the other eye, the object will look blurry or your child might see double. Children who have convergence insufficiency may avoid doing homework or find reading exhausting.

Visual Processing Issues

Light impulses travel from your child's eyes to the brain via the optic nerve. Once they reach the brain, they're processed into images. If the brain has difficulty processing images, your son or daughter may have trouble writing and recognizing letters and numbers or correctly identifying shapes. A processing problem may also affect spatial ability. If your child can't walk through the living room without bumping into furniture, a visual processing disorder may be to blame. The disorder might also be responsible for gait or posture issues or toe walking.

70 to 90 percent of children with autism have visual processing issues, according to an interview with Neuro-Developmental Optometrist Dr. Susan Daniel in an Optometrists Network article.

Difficulty Coordinating Central and Peripheral Vision

Children who have autism often have attention issues that can create challenges at school. They may focus so intently on a task or hobby that they don't respond when you call their names or can't be easily persuaded to move on to a new task.

The problem may occur if a child is overwhelmed when switching his or her focus from central to side vision and back again. Moving between both types of vision requires a significant degree of coordination and the ability to quickly process the information received. If your child has a coordination issue, it may be easier to focus on central vision and ignore anything in the periphery. When children focus so intently on a toy or book in front of them, they may not realize that you're trying to get their attention.

Trouble coordinating side and central vision may also be a factor in lack of eye contact. It may simply be more comfortable for your child to use his side vision when interacting with other people.

Visual Midline Shift Syndrome (VMSS)

VMSS can occur after a stroke or brain injury but may also be an issue in children who have autism. People who have the syndrome can't tell where the middle of their bodies are located and believe that the midline is located to the left or right of where it actually is. VMSS can make walking, moving through crowded rooms, catching a ball, and other everyday activities challenging.

How Can Vision Therapists Help Children Who Autism?

Vision therapy enhances the connection between the brain and the eyes with a selection of exercises, games, lenses, and visual aids. Your child may play computer games designed to improve his or her peripheral vision or other treatments to improve eye teaming and reduce convergence insufficiency symptoms. Therapy plans are specially designed to address your child's eye disorders and symptoms.

Prism lenses can be particularly helpful in children who have autism. Single or yoked lenses bend the light rays that enter the eye and can help keep both eyes properly aligned, stop head tilts, improve coordination and gait, and even reduce toe walking. The lenses may also help your child with spatial awareness and reduce clumsiness.

Would you like to find out if vision therapy could help your child? Contact our office to schedule a comprehensive vision examination.

Sources:

Child Psychiatry and Human Development, Winter 1996

College of Optometrists in Vision Development: Vision and Autism, 1/2/08

Optometry and Visual Performance: Vision Therapy for the Autistic Patient, 10/14

Optometrists Network: Autism, Vision Disorders and Developmental Optometry

  • Basic Visual Skills
  • All About Eyes
  • Protecting Your Eyes
  • Visual Rehabilitation
  • Pediatric Vision Issues
  • Common Eye Conditions
    • Vision Impairment
    • Changes in Appearance
    • Injury & Irritation
    • Eye Lids
    • Cognitive and Acquired
    • Age-Related
  • Vision Problems
  • Eye Symptoms
  • Eye Diseases
  • A Child's Vision
  • What is Vision Therapy
  • Vision Therapy Programs
  • We Can Help With
    • Corneal Disorders
      • Disorders
    • Adult Strabismus
    • Retinal Disorders
  • Newsletters
    • Kid's Vision
    • Medical Perspectives
    • Tips for Healthy Eyes
    • Conditions That Affect Vision

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Testimonials

Reviews From Our Satisfied Patients

  • "Austin Matthews $11.6 million
    John Tavares $11 million
    William Nylander $10.2 million
    Mitch Marner $10.8 million

    Watching my daughter become a more confident person, better student, accept the challenges and continue to have a positive outlook...

    PRICELESS!

    You can never put a price on seeing your child blossom and become an overall better person.

    Thanks for your time, energy, patience and dedication to helping people (my daughter)."
    PB
  • "Nick appears to have more confidence, his concentration is better and he has less headaches and nausea. He appears to have an easier time getting through his homework and has complained a lot less."
    OR
  • "Vision therapy has literally been a life changer for Luke. When he was first assessed, he had probably some of the lowest scores ever recorded at this practice Luke had gross and fine motor issues as well as poor reading comprehension and his hand-writing was almost impossible to decipher. He was extremely impulsive, impatient and…non-sensical as he didn't seem to know what to say or talk about.

    Dr. Huang…remained positive and encouraging and Luke quickly started to show improvements, which was first evident in his balance and co-ordination. As time went on his impulsivity became less and his conversation much more appropriate and well thought out. Teachers were commenting on how neat his printing was getting and noticed a very obvious improvement with reading comprehension. His visual skills went from completely out of range to completely normal for his age. We are so thankful to Dr. Huang…and staff for all of their knowledge, patience, and encouragement throughout Luke's VT journey."
    CD
  • "Vision therapy has changed my life for I can now continue to enjoy reading again. No longer will the words bounce off the page and the pages become blurred. No more double vision or headaches. I can read to my hearts content."
    LS
  • "Vision therapy has helped Enzo in every facet of his life. Unbeknownst to us, Enzo was seeing double until he was 6 years old. After meeting with Dr. Huang the first time all things could then be explained; why he had such a hard time learning his letters, why he wasn't able to catch or hit a baseball. Why he often became confused or tired looking at story books. The decision to begin therapy was an easy one for the simple reason it would make learning easier. We quickly began to see results. He quickly learned the skill of "making it one." He nearly immediately learned his letters, began reading in French and completed tasks other people take for granted. The most amazing moment was the first time he was able to hit a baseball. He began to cry and proudly proclaimed, "I did it!" The pride he had for himself in that moment made everything worth it. He also improved 5 reading levels in 1 year and can do all the things he once couldn't."
    LL (proud and thankful mom!)
  • "Connor started vision therapy in November 2017. We brought our boys for eye exams in March 2017, in chatham. Our oldest had perfect eyesight. Connor then had his turn in the chair. The doctor became progressively worried and advised we call Dr. Huang. The appointment was set up and after Connor's initial assessment, Dr. Huang was confident he and his team could help Connor.

    Week after week of in-office vision therapy and daily at-home therapy [home exercises], Connor did progress.

    As a goalie, he was better at tracking the puck, depth perception and all-around making great saves!

    He is doing exceptionally well in school, currently Grade 4 and is achieving A's and B's. We are very thankful to Dr. Huang and his team at Eye Care First!"
    HD
  • "Owen's a high energy kid who wasn't progressing in sports despite being in various activities and continued to need increases in his prescription glasses--the reason we came.

    Today, Owen's vision has remained stable. He is also more proficient during physical activity (eg. catching, throwing, seeing the "whole" ice, passing, hitting, etc). A bonus was Owen now has more self-confidence and control as he tends not to get as frustrated with himself or others when skills aren't acquired as quickly. Super thrilled :)"
    SC
  • "I have more confidence and [am] more social and I can walk for miles without stopping and things are more clear. I can do more stuff like before I would say I can't, now I'm confident and I just do it now LOL. I make jokes and people laugh and all LOL and my balance is better."
    JH
  • "Vision therapy has changed so many things in my life. I can now walk balanced and not off balance. I can read books, etc., and not get the letters messed up. The I fast forward the remote (TV), I can now watch it [and not feel nauseous]. I can go into stores and not [have the urge to] walk out [because of] people moving/lights. I no longer run into shelves, etc., at stores when I'm pushing a cart. Etc, etc, etc.

    PS I made friend with the lovely ladies and I got to meet Ian [a little friend also in VT]."
    LR
  • "Vision therapy changed my life in many ways. Vision therapy helped me stay more focused on school, helped me with the amount of time it would take me to remember a simple (small) piece of information. Vision therapy allowed me to balance my time well and set my priorities straight. It helped me change my mindset in everything. I went from always saying "no," to always saying "maybe," to always saying "yes!" Vision therapy is the best thing that's happened to me, it changed my life."
    NE
  • "1) Every week looking forward for enjoyable, as well challenging activity. I was doing for myself, yet if it were working, it would bring more peace to my family--being less exhausted from work, able to spend more time with boys or engage with them or my wife in more effective/intuned way. I think it helped with it, at least a bit.

    2) I think I am reading more efficiently, with less strain.

    3) I think my capacity to make dictated reports has improved. (I do still avoid/dread to pick up novel book and read to use it as relaxing/leasure time activity).

    4) VERY IMPORTANT: This opportunity/experience HUGELY BROADENED my professional clinical acumen, knowledge horizon, etc, allowed me to grow as scholar, care-coordinator, patient advocate, medical expert.

    Please share it with RCPSO and it's psychiatry division."
    JT
  • "I feel vision therapy has totally changed my daughter's life. She has become more confident in herself. She has seen the change in her vision and control of her eyes. Her confidence has soared! Thank you so much!"
    PB
  • "His eyes work together. He reads on his own more. He now has depth perception (3D). He can see better. He is more relaxed. He is calmer. He calms down quicker and realizes when his "fan" is high. He can focus better. His imagery wonderful.

    An amazing experience. It improved my child's life."
    MS
  • "Fourteen months ago my daughter started vision therapy. She was struggling to learn to read and although she like school, her confidence was decreasing. Within months of starting vision therapy, she was reading and starting to make gains at school.

    The process has been long and a lot of hard work, but it has been a worthwhile investment. She loves reading now and has made gains in confidence in many areas of her life. She can now ride a bike, complete math work independently and even had the confidence to audition for the school play.

    Vision therapy has made a huge difference in my daughter's life and we are excited to see her continue to thrive."
    JM
  • "I have become more focused in school and have seen a major [increase] in my school performance. I have become better at studying and am now able to study and do work in noisy situations. I have also enjoyed the time I spent at the office with all of the girls and am very sad that I am leaving. Although you won't get rid of me that easily :)."
    SR
  • "I started vision therapy in 2019 because I sustained a concussion during a football game. My eyes were sensitive to even the smallest amounts of light and I couldn't read without becoming symptomatic. Now, I can read fine and stare into the sky on a sunny day and I can "blame" this recovery on vision therapy."
    ED
  • "Vision therapy has helped M discover the joy of reading. He no longer experiences daily headaches after a long day at school. M also attributes his success in school to vision therapy."
    LM
  • "Vision therapy has allowed me to gain greater control over my eyes, and is making them less tired or strained. It also prevents them from getting too myopic in a short period of time. I feel that I am now able to use my eyes more efficiently. All this makes me more confident when I do work with my eyes."
    YL
  • "It's been a long adventure--from a daycare teacher pointing out an eye turn, to trying to get a JK to wear glasses, to watching a child see 3D for the first time in 8 years! VT has challenged E to work hard and think about her body in ways most kids her age don't. She's a confident kid--able to express things about herself and the world around her eloquently because she's always had to put in the extra thought and effort.

    We've made huge gains and with every success she's been able to build.

    Thanks Guys!"
    CM

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