Vision Care for Special Needs
If you are a parent of a child with special needs, you know that nothing fully prepares you for this unique journey – this includes your child’s eye care and visual needs.
Special Needs can be divided into four categories:
It’s important to note that children with special needs may exhibit certain behaviors that are perceived as part of their syndrome (or a specific diagnosis) when in fact, many of these behaviors may be due to an underlying and undetected vision problem.
Sometimes, a little prism in a pair of eyeglasses are all they need.
How Vision Therapy Can Help Children with Special Needs
Vision therapy can be particularly beneficial for children with special needs, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or ADHD. These children often experience underlying vision issues that can exacerbate their challenges with learning, behavior, and social interaction.
Research shows that improving visual function can enhance learning, social interaction, and overall quality of life for children with special needs. However, Vision Therapy isn’t suitable for everyone. That’s why we conduct thorough assessments to determine whether your child is a candidate for Vision Therapy or if alternative vision care solutions may be more effective.
Special needs children may struggle with hand-eye coordination and fine motor tasks like writing or catching a ball. Vision therapy strengthens these skills, helping them perform daily activities more effectively.
Conditions like convergence insufficiency or difficulty focusing on near objects can make it hard for children to sustain attention. Vision therapy trains their eyes to work together properly, improving focus during tasks like reading or homework.
Many children with special needs experience sensory processing challenges, which can include visual overload or difficulty interpreting visual stimuli. Vision therapy can help reduce these issues by improving the brain's ability to process and respond to visual information.
Struggles with depth perception or eye alignment, common in children with special needs, can affect movement and balance. Vision therapy strengthens binocular vision, improving their ability to navigate their environment.
By improving visual function, vision therapy helps children build the confidence to participate in classroom activities, play with peers, and perform self-care tasks.
Vision therapy programs are highly individualized, which makes them suitable for addressing the specific challenges of children with diverse abilities.