Developmental Vision For The Neurodiverse

Between 20% up to as high as 60% of children with down syndrome have an eye that wanders inwards or outwards

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A neurodiverse child may also have an undetected visual challenge which can contribute to behavioral and developmental issues. It could go unnoticed, especially when it is masked under the greater diagnosis of the syndrome or any type of diagnosis of special needs. It is important to be aware that just like many other communication skills, vision is also an ability that is developed over time and can be trained and strengthened with the aid of professionals in the field, such as a developmental optometrist.

Developmental optometrists have experience working with children with special needs, doing everything possible to adapt to your child’s unique comfort zones by providing a safe space to evaluate his or her visual abilities.

Taking your child for a developmental vision assessment is a harmless non-invasive process and can open up a world of visual strengthening which can assist in any child’s:

Development
Communication skills
Hand-eye coordination
Learning abilities
Reading and writing
Behavior

Every child is unique, however generally speaking, a neurodiverse child has a higher tendency to also have vision challenges, which could include:

Nearsightedness
Farsightedness
Lazy eye
Eye turns or misaligned eyes
Depth perception
Coordination between both eyes
Focusing the eyes
Visual information processing

What is developmental vision?

Developmental vision extends beyond focusing solely on 20/20 vision, which of course is important, however there is so much more that contributes to our visual system. A developmental optometrist assesses the way both eyes work with each other and how they communicate with the brain in order to obtain the highest quality of vision and to prevent any strain, discomfort or unnecessary obstacles.

After the developmental visual assessment, a personalized treatment plan will be created often using glasses, prisms, filters and/ or special exercises to train and strengthen the visual system with vision therapy. Vision therapy has been used to treat many eye conditions including those that relate to: