The Way I See It

May 05, 2010

Vision therapy. Ever heard of it? I hadn't until twelve weeks ago when it became yet another piece of my mothering journey.

But first a little history. My husband was diagnosed with dyslexia after years of struggling with reading and writing. He was a freshman at an Ivy League college at the time of his diagnosis which made for some frustrating and stressful school years. My mother-in-law remembers doing some sort of eye exercises as a child and still hates to read. I was very aware of these things when my son was born.

My son sees a wonderful and highly-regarded educational therapist semi-regularly and I've pretty much been asking her if he is dyslexic since the first visit at 2 1/2. For years, she's kindly ignored me explaining that there is no way to tell at such a young age because many young children transpose letters, have trouble tracking words on a page and, well, don't like to read. I knew this was true but I also knew in my gut that his eyes were holding him back--not the sole cause of some of his learning difficulties but a piece of the puzzle.

Finally, with my son almost 7, we went to an educational optometrist (did you even know they exist?) for testing. And that's when my new journey began--a journey of research, instinct and ultimately, trust. Even before entering the office, the controversy began. It seems vision therapy is a hot button in the parenting world. One quick Google was all it took to unleash a firestorm of naysayers dismissing the therapy as a waste of time and money. I heard it from friends, colleagues and my pediatrician (more on that later). But I decided to trust my own mother inner voice and take my son to the top guy in town. In the waiting room, I met incredible mothers who had driven over 50 miles for their children's weekly sessions. They were all kind, articulate and passionate about this doctor and this therapy.

When it came time for our appointment, I sat in on the one hour testing and was truly amazed. I saw very clearly that my son struggled immensely with tracking words and numbers across a page. He lost his place as frequently as I lose my keys. He had difficulty distinguishing patterns and could not stay focused while following even a pen light. The doctor took me through a series of diagnosis which I won't bore you with but it was very clear that the eyes were not working effectively together (commonly referred to as convergence issues). He recommended 30 sessions at which point we would be done with vision therapy. Apparently, once you retrain the eye, it doesn't go back. If only all therapies were like that! But I digress...

To vision therapy or not to vision therapy? That was now the question. It's expensive and not usually covered by insurance. It's time consuming with a one hour weekly visit and half hour home exercises daily. And there's no guarantee it works. While debating the topic, my husband and I were bombarded with a chorus of nos, most notably from our pediatrician who actually chuckled at the idea, insisting that the American Academy of Pediatrics found no scientific evidence to claim that academic abilities can be improved with treatments that are based on visual training. She further dismissed my point that I wasn't looking for better grades, but rather less frustration and straining on the part of my son. When I asked her if she had any patients that had found success with vision therapy, she simply could not recall. I left that appointment pretty disappointed. Luckily, I wasn't a first time mom, new to the game of parenting anxiety. So, I made some calls to people I trust, educators and child advocates to gain more information. Then, I took to the mommy blogs to hear what those in the trenches had to say. And, finally, I used my mommy experience, wisdom and instinct to make my own decision.

Yesterday, my son was tested after completing his first ten sessions. On one test, he jumped from the 16th percent to the 75th percent. On another test, he went from the level of a 4 year old to a 7 and 10 year old. The improvements were staggering. Then again, I didn't really need the doctor or the tests to show me what I've seen with my own eyes. My son is more focused. He gets his reading/writing homework down in twenty minutes, down from an hour and a half. And he reads willingly every night with excitement and confidence.

Is he fixed? Of course not. Is vision therapy right for everyone and every diagnosis? No way. But as mother's day nears, I can't help but think, sometimes moms really do know best!