Hi Trinity,
Oh Isa!
I'm so sad about your experience. I would reccomend dropping the therapist, and appologising to your daughter. My son also has visual problems, and I haven't had enough faith in the field to start him with a therapist at all! But I do hope you try again to find another person to work with her in this area.
Yes, we dropped the therapist a little bit more than a month ago and I tried to explain to DD that it was the therapist and not me who wanted to change her into a a 'Stepford Daughter' (I obviously used another words).
About the vision therapy, if properly done it does actually work. I know by my own experience. When I was a child I was diagnosed with a lazy eye. I have spent all my life hearing that I would never correct the lazy eye... until I did eye exercises and was able to see perfectly right with it. Now, even though I have lost a little bit of vision I still can see in 3D!
I have seen those games. Maybe I can get one for myself!
As for catching a ball, I have found one that has about 20 soft spider legs comming out of it, so that when my son was little, if he missed it, it wouldn't bounce and roll away. There is also a common type of ball, called a "Koosh" ball, which is very soft, and also doesn't roll or bounce. Bean Bags are also great for this purpose. I would encourage you to play lots of games that combine her strengths with her weaknesses.
The therapist used a lot something called 'tooties'. I have recently got jongleur balls to play with.
Example - If she loves matching pictures to words, tape 3 words to buckets, and give her cards with pictures on it, and ask her to throw a bean bag into the bucket that has the correct word on it. The idea is to get her to practice where she needs it (throwing) and keeping it from becoming boring by distracting her with the interesting and challenging work. (matching the pictures)
mmm! That's an interesting game! I think I will change words with numbers, but I definitively have to try. I have read as well about blowing bubbles and trying to catch them with a ruler.
I have teach her as well to give 'dragonfly kisses' by blinking hard several times.
My son also didn't read until he was 6, even though he is very gifted, and could identify letters at age 2! I think that the visual system can take a while to mature, and that everyone has their areas of strength and weakness. My son isn't mulilingual, although he seems to be interested, and always enjoyed and noticed whenever he encounters someone with an accent. When he was little he said, "That man has music in his voice!"
Now my son is learning French at school, and practices it with his dad, and French-speaking friends who visit occasionally.
Is your DH French? I spent a few years in Paris many years ago and still love to talk French.
When my son was little, evey game of catch I played with him ended in him crying because I would hit him in the face with the ball. I didn't understand about visual tracking problems then and just gave up without thinking about it.
At his school on the playground at age 7, the other boys would complain, "Hey, why do you play kickball? You aren't any good at it." He would explain to them that he wanted to improve, so of course he needed to play. At age 9 there was a popular game of "wall ball" that involved throwing a tennis ball against the wall and catching it. He must have gotten very involved with this at school, because from then on he is much improved with catching and throwing. My son tends to learn in spurts. On his 9th birthday, he learned to whistle, and whistled constantly for a whole year. Currently he is practicing card tricks, which I prefer! ((smile))
I think I have to motivate DD into trying catching and throwing more often!
I would be nuts if she would whistle for a whole year, hehehe...
Anyway, Welcome Isa! Sorry about my lack of spelling ability. I wish I could greet you in all of your languages!
Trinity
Spelling? Who cares!
It is always very nice to be welcome, no matter the language.
And thanks a lot for the playing ideas!
