Vision Therapy And Autism: Can It Help Your Child?

While problems with vision tend to be common in children with autism, they also tend to be overlooked. This is because typical autistic behaviors such as looking past or through an object, making poor eye contact, strong aversion to light, and abnormal reaction to visual stimuli make it hard to tell whether or not a child is having trouble with his or her vision. A big question parents of autistic kids ask is whether or not vision therapy would benefit their autistic children.  

How Does an Autistic Child Benefit From Visual Therapy?

As the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, it is in the best interest of your child to have a vision evaluation conducted by an eye specialist as soon as possible. With the right eye doctor, it is not necessary for your child to be able to speak to get an evaluation. It is extremely common for children on the autism spectrum to struggle with one or more of the following skills:

• Fine motor skills
• Hand and eye coordination
• Large motor skills
• Impulse control
• Understanding their physical place
• Depth perception

What a lot of people do not realize is that many of these are symptoms of a vision issue such as strabismus or eye teaming. It is important to understand these are vision issues a school screening or traditional pediatrician checkup would not detect. For this reason it is vital to take your autistic child to a specialist for a full checkup. Proper treatment and visual therapy could be all your child needs to make some daily tasks a little easier.

Eyesight and Vision Are Not The Same Thing

Any child needs both good eyesight and strong vision in order to read, learn, and perform daily tasks. What a lot of parents do not realize is eyesight and vision are not the same thing. It is not just enough to take your child to an eye doctor who specializes in vision problems. You need to take your child to an eye doctor who specializes in vision disorders. With proper vision therapy and treatment, your autistic child may be able to see the world very differently.

The demand on the visual system of an autistic child is much heavier than it was for you when you were growing up. Furthermore, your child may not be able to verbalize how he or she is feeling or when something is wrong. This can make it difficult for your child to tell you something, such as how painful reading is for him or her. Fortunately, visual therapy will help. You just need to get your child to an eye doctor who specializes in vision therapy, such as Absolute Vision Care, as soon as possible.

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