Vision Therapy - Littleton,CO

Dear Candice;
Our son went through vision therapy. I knew when he started Kindergarten that he had a problem. But it took someone in the 5th grade from the Educational Unit of our state to tell us to have him tested. We had to go 150 miles away to find someone to test him and then help him. One a scale of 1 ro 5 he was a 4.5. He had 28 weeks of therapy. We drove the 150 miles every 2 weeks to have it done. I wish that he had the therapy when he started school instead of the 5th grade. He had more than just vision problems, but the therapy was a God send in some areas. My advice is have her tested and then go through the therapy. Your insurance will pay for it, because it is a brain problem not an eye problem. It is how the brain computes what it sees. If you have any more questions feel free to email me back. Your mamasource pal L.

I'm a speech pathologist, and did early intervention for 2 years with OTs. I just want to encourage you to get the help your daughter needs while she is still young. It sounds like she could use it. "movement" difficulties, or sensory difficulties like this have nothing to do with over- all intelligence, but they can make it harder for her to learn (like learning to track letters for reading, then later, being able to read-to-learn). It's just like saving for retirement-- the earlier you start, the better the dividends. Keep advocating for your daughter!!

Start with your daughter's teacher, and the school special ed (remember special ed does not equal mental retardation, literally, specialized education!) to see if they can help. Talk to your pediatrician. Be sure to mention that you've been told her difficulty can affect her ability to learn to read. Also, there are many philanthropic organizations that may be able to help... a friend of mine gets financial help from a Rotary club to bring her son into weekly speech therapy. Best of luck!

My sister has two kids who've had great results with vision therapy, and her husband has just started it to treat problems from a car accident.

My niece had some strange vision problems (seeing shadows on everything was one) that affected not just her ability to read, but also her social interactions (she had trouble recognizing people until they were right up close). She has absolutely blossomed after this therapy. She was maybe 8ish when she had it.

My nephew's issues were less obvious, but the therapy helped him a ton with reading and headaches and has helped him to see better in general. He was a bit older, like around 11. I've read that the best results are achieved at younger ages but it helped them both a lot anyway. :)

It's really interesting stuff, and if you go to a good practice they will totally customize the therapy based on your daughter's specific needs. We honestly wish my sister had been able to do this as a child. She's highly intelligent but struggled in school because of dyslexia and learning disabilities.

Best of luck!

I'm doing it for myself right now. I'm so glad we finally did this! I would definitely do it for your daughter. I don't get headaches any more. I enjoy reading, and computer work, and needle work/sewing again, all things that had become very difficult for me and caused headaches. Mine is strictly teaching my eyes to cooperate with each other. I hope this helps.

I wanted my daughter to get this therapy, but it was too expensive and insurance would not cover the $3000 cost. I know several kids who have done this and had excellent results.