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    #29882 11/09/08 06:28 AM
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    I am wondering if anyone has any experience with a Behavioral Optometrist and their 2e child.

    If you have read my previous post, I asked about ADD - no H. Anyway, since then, babybear (7) has been through developmental testing and it was discovered that she has visual perceptual, visual spatial,visual tracking issues that are well below her chronological age. In doing research on my own, I found that these vision issues often mimic ADD behaviors. We are having babybear tested later this month.

    Does anyone have experiences/insights into this type of testing and therapy?

    TIA

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    Yes, BTDT with DD7. We found the right optometrist at www.covd.org . We did the testing when dd was about 6, just a couple months after having seen a pediatric opthamologist who had found no problems. (The testing that the behavioral optometrist will do is different from a regular checkup.) DD did 6 months of vision therapy (weekly therapy sessions plus daily vision homework). She can see better than I can now smile And, she showed dramatic improvement with her reading during that time.

    An interesting note - we did a few weeks of vision therapy before starting OT with listening therapy for sensory processing disorder (ocular motor problems can be one manifestation of SPD; dd had others too). When we started vision therapy, it was really difficult for dd. The vision homework sessions were agony for both of us. Then we did the short, intensive program of OT, and because of the schedule (OT 3x per week) we put the vision therapy on hold until OT was finished three months later. When we went back to vision therapy, the vision exercises were so much easier for dd to do, and the vision therapist was shocked at the improvement from the OT. The funny thing was that the OT had told me that it would help with the vision, but I wasn't holding my breath. After the OT, dd then breezed through the remaining 20 weeks of vision therapy. Bottom line for dd was that she needed both OT and vision therapy, in that order (her other SPD issues were proprioceptive and vestibular).

    Vision therapy involved sacrifice - it's costly and hard work - but for us it was well worth it. Good luck!

    smile

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    DD 6 had also been tested by an opthamologist who found that she was farsighted, but she would grow out of it.

    We later went to a behavioral optometrist who did the same tests as the opthamologist and additional tests for the tracking and processing issues. The behavioral dr. is great. Super smart and she talks fast, like me, so I liked her even more. smile

    She didn't dialate DD's eyes either, they have a machine now that basically takes an image of the whole eyeball instead.

    DD has been having therapy for visual perception issues which is how the brain sorts, stores and processes information that is taken in by the eyes. Totally different from being farsighted/nearsighted. Additionally, she has weak fine motor and was having focusing issues on top of being farsighted and now has corrective glasses for those issues as well.

    We have been very happy with the progress she's made after a little over a month of biweekly sessions and daily practice.

    We found our dr. at covd.org as well.

    Good luck. smile

    Last edited by incogneato; 11/09/08 11:22 AM. Reason: clarity
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    Your responnses have been very encouraging!! Our Pediatrician has requested OT/PT as well, but that has not been addressed because there are many hoops to jump through for the school district who would rather just label her ADD, drug her and call it a day.

    We realize that the testing and therapy are expensive, but I'm really OK with using Christmas gift money and skipping gifts for DH and I to ensure that babybear gets what she needs.

    Keep the information coming....I am devouring any and all reseach. If you have web sites, books, articles that would help us wind our way through this maze, please add them!

    I KNOW this child is gifted and I KNOW that once we help her with whatever is holding her back that she will take flight and be unstoppable!! I wish it was easier to get the school on board with all this...but as DH says, we will bring "a bat" just in case!


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    Does anyone know of any information that supports the idea that schools get more federal money for kids medicated for ADD rather than other LD issues? Or is that a false claim?

    Thanks again!!!!

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    I have to also add my support for the vision therapy. My DS10 started vision therapy for visual tracking/processing issues a year ago and did it for about 6 months. It has made a tremendous difference in his life!!!! It is very expensive, but it has been very worth it. Some insurances will pay for it (not mine sadly), so do check your policy. Definitely check out www.covd.org to find a qualified therapist. I hope it all goes well!!!

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    Our insurance does cover it,but we are required to pay up front and then submit the claim. The Doctor says our particular insurance is very good about reimbursement. We are crossing fingers (and toes!)

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    Hi again mamabear. I know you know the school can't diagnose your child with ADD, only a doctor can. I don't know if they get better funding with that diagnosis, but it's not relative in that they cannot choose or influence whether her diagnosis is ADD of LD.

    Personally, if our pediatrician diagnosed one of my children with what I consider a neurological condition(I consider ADD nuerological) I would follow up with a pediatric neurologist. But, that's just me. smile

    I can tell you that in the past I wondered if DD6 had ADD. Mostly becuase of what I notice as her inability to focus and stay on task, limited attention span at times. But she has been tested for ADD and we have been told she does not have it.

    I have noticed she is much less fidgety in academic situations since starting therapy. I do feel her issue caused her actual physical discomfort during reading tasks. This has seemed to decrease.

    She is like your DD7, has a mind of her own, totally different thought process, very smart. I have decided if I choose to keep her in a public school setting, it is my job to teach her how to cope with the aspects of that setting that are at a mismatch to her personality, most likely to cause her trouble.

    I have worked with her on being aware of when she is focusing and when she is not. I want her to be aware of the difference of *feeling* between those two things. The goal would be for her to learn how to "turn" focus on and off. I've seen some progress there, she is learning how to focus on tasks she is less interested in. If she had ADD I don't think I could help her learn to do this and I probably wouldn't take the approach that I am taking now.

    If we find that her enviroment is not a good fit after I've done everything I can to help her, I will create an individualized education plan and homeschool her.

    It's never easy. smile You are certainly a really good mom for doing whatever it takes to help out your children. I hope the vision therapy is helpful, it sure has been for our DD. smile

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    Thanks for your thoughts again Incog!

    What has my radar up regarding pushing ADD on DD is that with all of the testing (even after finding visual deficits) the recommendation continued to be "share with Pediatrician for Attention Deficit issues". If I had not been aware that there were Behavioral Optometrists and asked if there was a reputable one in the area, we would have been in a much different position.

    I have always thought that DD has "something amiss" but she has taught herself to compensate for quite some time. For instance, she is a good reader (according to the teacher she is 6 months ahead of other kids). I believe her reading level to be much higher if she didn't have visual issues since she can read words off things (charts in a doctor's office like the names of nerves and diseases and things). She asked me the other day what insipidous meant! She tends to panic if the words are small or italic. I think that is why she is comfortable with reading for her teacher using larger darker print books. Once the print gets smaller, she can't keep her place.

    Her math skills are below grade level, but I believe that has to do with her trying so hard to keep her place on the page, that she can't "multitask her brain" to retain that and get the answer as well. (if that makes any sense.)

    She has horrid hand writing! She doesn't create lettes or numbers in a natural progresson such as making an "n". She will make the arc and then go back and stick a short stem on it. Numbers are always backwards or sideways.

    She is a really good kid and she knows that she is "different". She gets very upset when her GT sister will sit and do all of her homework for the week in 30 minutes and it takes babybear 30 minutes to copy 5 spelling words 3x each (poorly).

    I never thought DD was ADD, but the school seems to cling to that label as their "easy out". So far, the Pediatrician is not entertaining anything from the school until all of the testing is done. Her teacher is excelent with her and willing to try things to help her, so that is a blessing!

    Hopefully we will find the right combination before babybear's frustration has done any more damage to her self esteem!

    Thanks again!! It helps to hear from those BTDT parents!!


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    Those descriptions of the handwriting and reading issues sound almost identical to DD6. I can't tell you how much the vision therapy has helped. Do you think it would be worth it to pursue the vision therapy and give that a chance before having her officially evalutated by ped for ADD/ADHD?

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