{"id":10262,"date":"2021-03-16T06:25:29","date_gmt":"2021-03-16T06:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=10262"},"modified":"2021-08-22T18:23:36","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T18:23:36","slug":"does-your-child-have-a-learning-difficulty","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/does-your-child-have-a-learning-difficulty\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Your Child Have a Learning Difficulty?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is your child not reaching their potential at school?\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Up to 80 percent of all learning comes through the visual pathways.<\/b><\/p>\n

Vision gives us the ability to see near and distant objects, thanks to the 17 visual skills that provide us with clear and comfortable vision.<\/p>\n

Strong visual skills<\/a> are critical for all aspects of learning. If there are problems with your child\u2019s visual pathways it can impact their ability to learn.<\/p>\n

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA) 25 percent of all children have a significant vision problem that impacts their learning.<\/b><\/p>\n

If your child has a problem with their visual skills, their learning could be affected. The best way to find out if your child is suffering from a vision problem is to schedule an eye exam.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Vision problems can impact your child\u2019s learning<\/b><\/h2>\n

Vision problems can affect a child\u2019s reading, attention, spelling and all aspects of their school grades.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The two main areas that are needed in school are reading and writing. If your vision is compromised then a child\u2019s academic performance<\/a> may suffer.<\/p>\n

How is reading affected by vision?<\/b><\/h2>\n

If your child has difficulty reading it may not be a learning issue, but rather a <\/b>vision problem<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vision skills in saccades and visual integration can affect a child reading abilities.<\/p>\n

Saccades<\/b> is a skill that enables fluid reading. This skill allows your eyes to move smoothly across the line, in coordination.<\/p>\n

Without it, a child may omit words in a sentence, or make word assumptions that can affect the meaning of the passage and\/or sentence.<\/p>\n

Visual integration<\/b> is a skill that allows you to read words accurately, seeing the order and shape of each letter, in a word. Additionally, laterality enables a child to understand that the English language is read from left to right, starting from the top of the page.<\/p>\n

Without visual integration, a child may confuse letters such as p and q, or b and d, or confuse words such as \u2018was\u2019 and \u2018saw\u2019.<\/p>\n

If your child is having difficulty reading at grade level they may have a vision problem. Schedule a complete evaluation of your child\u2019s vision and visual skills to identify their strengths and weaknesses.<\/p>\n

A program of vision therapy will likely be recommended to strengthen their visual skills to improve reading fluency<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If your child is not achieving to their potential at school: contact an eye doctor<\/a> near you that provides comprehensive eye exams and vision therapy for children.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SEE RELATED:<\/strong> Eye Conditions That Can Affect Academic Success<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t

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Find an eye doctor for children near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t
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