smuga@mtuxo.UUCP (j.smuga) (12/31/85)
Late last summer I asked for help in deciding whether to try vision therapy for my daughter Claire, who is now in first grade. Thanks to the responses I received, I decided to go ahead with the program, and I promised to post the results. A bit of background: Claire has worn bifocals for several years to correct a convergence problem. Her vision is excellent, but her muscle control of her eyes is poor. Small motor problems seem to run in our family; I had similar eye problems as a child and my older daughter required speech therapy. The specific problem that led me to consider therapy for Claire's eyes was that when she began to read she was unable to track correctly. She frequently skipped lines and complained that "the words jumped off the page." I wanted to do what could be done to correct the problem before my daughter began first grade. By my standards the program has been successful. That is, the words no longer jump off the page when Claire reads. She is in the top reading group in her class. Whether her tracking ability would have improved as much, or at all, without the exercises is a question I never will be able to answer. The therapy itself consisted of twelve weekly one-hour sessions with a therapist who provided exercises for us to practice daily at home. Claire was not enthusiastic about the daily practice, although we did try to make it fun, but she did it almost every day. One exercise proved too difficult for her: she was supposed to read alternately from an eyechart posted on the wall and a smaller one on the table in front of her. It does not surprise me that she now complains that her head aches when she has to copy from the board in school. We will return for a follow-up evaluation in the spring. If further therapy is recommended, I am inclined to pursue it. Right now I attribute my daughter's progress to the therapy she received during the summer and fall, and I believe the improvement has contributed significantly to her progress in school. Thanks again to everyone who responded to my initial request for information. You helped to convince both me and my husband to give the therapy a chance. -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Janet Smuga I've had a great many troubles in my time, ihnp4!mtuxo!smuga and most of them never happened. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -