Empathy List Archives

LB

Levingston, Brandi

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 3:00 PM

Hello All,

I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC
Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #311456
Denton, TX 76203-5017
(940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY)
(940) 565-3960 (fax)
Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu mailto:Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu

Hello All, I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation University of North Texas 1155 Union Circle #311456 Denton, TX 76203-5017 (940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY) (940) 565-3960 (fax) Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu<mailto:Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu>

SA

Sheila Amato

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 4:12 PM

Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field. I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will chime in with their thoughts.

Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy issue.

As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of 20/70 in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I believe... I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which we typically provide service.

For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive!

But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First of all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of it from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, kids with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a neurological issue that we can’t fix.

So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers for this question.

There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and I have such included:
Optometric Vision Therapy
Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry)
Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied Professionals (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association; joint statement)
Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above)
What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision Development)
Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-needs.org/vision_therapy/esophoria_reading.html)
and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view: http://www.visiontherapy.org/

Hope this helps somewhat ...
Sheila

From: Levingston, Brandi
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM
To: AER
Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy

Hello All,

I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC

Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator

Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation

University of North Texas

1155 Union Circle #311456

Denton, TX 76203-5017

(940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY)

(940) 565-3960 (fax)

Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu

You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

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Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field. I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will chime in with their thoughts. Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy issue. As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of 20/70 in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I believe... I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which we typically provide service. For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive! But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First of all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of it from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, kids with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a neurological issue that we can’t fix. So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers for this question. There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and I have such included: Optometric Vision Therapy Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review (American Academy of Pediatrics) Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry) Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied Professionals (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association; joint statement) Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above) What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision Development) Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-needs.org/vision_therapy/esophoria_reading.html) and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view: http://www.visiontherapy.org/ Hope this helps somewhat ... Sheila From: Levingston, Brandi Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM To: AER Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy Hello All, I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation University of North Texas 1155 Union Circle #311456 Denton, TX 76203-5017 (940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY) (940) 565-3960 (fax) Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. To post a message to all the list members, send an email to aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. _______________________________________________ AERNet mailing list AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org

PR

Patti Rosen

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 4:34 PM

Thank you Sheila for a helpful reply to a question that I have too. I actually have a child on my caseload who in my informal observation and chats with other related service providers did not seem to require vision services. Eye teaming issues. Some peripheral field loss four years old and well corrected acuity. While this child certainly benefits from one to one attention and from a few simple tracking activities I do not think that his muscle and neuro based difficulties can be fixed by me. He can use the small icons on his communication device functionAlly. I do my best but find myself at a bit of a loss. Thanks again for your thoughts and expertise

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 31, 2017, at 11:12 AM, Sheila Amato brltrans@frontier.com wrote:

Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field. I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will chime in with their thoughts.

Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy issue.

As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of 20/70 in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I believe... I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which we typically provide service.

For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive!

But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First of all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of it from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, kids with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a neurological issue that we can’t fix.

So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers for this question.

There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and I have such included:
Optometric Vision Therapy
Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry)
Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied Professionals (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association; joint statement)
Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above)
What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision Development)
Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-needs.org/vision_therapy/esophoria_reading.html)
and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view: http://www.visiontherapy.org/

Hope this helps somewhat ...
Sheila

From: Levingston, Brandi
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM
To: AER
Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy

Hello All,

I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC
Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #311456
Denton, TX 76203-5017
(940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY)
(940) 565-3960 (fax)
Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu

You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to aernet@lists.aerbvi.org.

Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives.

AERNet mailing list
AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org
http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org
You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to aernet@lists.aerbvi.org.

Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives.

AERNet mailing list
AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org
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Thank you Sheila for a helpful reply to a question that I have too. I actually have a child on my caseload who in my informal observation and chats with other related service providers did not seem to require vision services. Eye teaming issues. Some peripheral field loss four years old and well corrected acuity. While this child certainly benefits from one to one attention and from a few simple tracking activities I do not think that his muscle and neuro based difficulties can be fixed by me. He can use the small icons on his communication device functionAlly. I do my best but find myself at a bit of a loss. Thanks again for your thoughts and expertise Sent from my iPhone > On Jan 31, 2017, at 11:12 AM, Sheila Amato <brltrans@frontier.com> wrote: > > Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field. I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will chime in with their thoughts. > > Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy issue. > > As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of 20/70 in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I believe... I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which we typically provide service. > > For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive! > > But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First of all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of it from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, kids with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a neurological issue that we can’t fix. > > So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers for this question. > > There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and I have such included: > Optometric Vision Therapy > Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Ophthalmology) > Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review (American Academy of Pediatrics) > Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry) > Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied Professionals (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association; joint statement) > Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above) > What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision Development) > Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-needs.org/vision_therapy/esophoria_reading.html) > and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view: http://www.visiontherapy.org/ > > Hope this helps somewhat ... > Sheila > > > From: Levingston, Brandi > Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM > To: AER > Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy > > Hello All, > > I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. > > Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC > Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator > Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation > University of North Texas > 1155 Union Circle #311456 > Denton, TX 76203-5017 > (940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY) > (940) 565-3960 (fax) > Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu > > You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. > > To post a message to all the list members, send an email to aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. > > Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. > _______________________________________________ > AERNet mailing list > AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org > http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org > You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. > > To post a message to all the list members, send an email to aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. > > Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. > _______________________________________________ > AERNet mailing list > AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org > http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org

TP

terese pawletko

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 4:35 PM

I believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric
Neuropsychology list serve have had this discussion and are concerned that
the research does not support these interventions re: impacting children's
learning...I don't have time to look up the references that they provided
as I'm drowning in evaluations but will try to do so in the next few weeks
Terese
Terese Pawletko Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Certified School Psychologist

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 11:12 AM, Sheila Amato brltrans@frontier.com
wrote:

Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field.
I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will
chime in with their thoughts.

Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental
optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such
as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor
dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A
student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes
don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy
issue.

As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of 20/70
in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I believe...
I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which we typically
provide service.

For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and
does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the
midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such
as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had
diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated
to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school
did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about
his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not
affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive!

But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First of
all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of it
from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, kids
with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these
dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our
caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a
neurological issue that we can’t fix.

So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services
because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does
this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and
they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical
insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that
the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and
occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers
for this question.

There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and
I have such included:
Optometric Vision Therapy
Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American
Academy of Ophthalmology)
Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review
(American Academy of Pediatrics)
Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry)
Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied Professionals
(American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association; joint
statement)
Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above)
What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision
Development)
Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-needs.org/vision_therapy/
esophoria_reading.html)
and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view:
http://www.visiontherapy.org/

Hope this helps somewhat ...
Sheila

From: Levingston, Brandi
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM
To: AER
Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy

Hello All,

I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose
mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as
familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard
of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC

Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator

Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation

University of North Texas

1155 Union Circle #311456

Denton, TX 76203-5017

(940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY)

(940) 565-3960 (fax)

Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu

You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to
aernet@lists.aerbvi.org.

Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/
mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to
unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives.

AERNet mailing list
AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org
http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org

You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to
aernet@lists.aerbvi.org.

Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/
mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to
unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives.

AERNet mailing list
AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org
http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org

I believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric Neuropsychology list serve have had this discussion and are concerned that the research does not support these interventions re: impacting children's learning...I don't have time to look up the references that they provided as I'm drowning in evaluations but will try to do so in the next few weeks Terese Terese Pawletko Ph.D. Licensed Psychologist Certified School Psychologist On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 11:12 AM, Sheila Amato <brltrans@frontier.com> wrote: > Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field. > I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will > chime in with their thoughts. > > Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental > optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such > as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor > dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A > student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes > don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy > issue. > > As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of 20/70 > in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I believe... > I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which we typically > provide service. > > For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and > does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the > midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such > as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had > diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated > to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school > did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about > his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not > affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive! > > But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First of > all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of it > from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, kids > with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these > dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our > caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a > neurological issue that we can’t fix. > > So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services > because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does > this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and > they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical > insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that > the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and > occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers > for this question. > > There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and > I have such included: > Optometric Vision Therapy > Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American > Academy of Ophthalmology) > Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review > (American Academy of Pediatrics) > Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry) > Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied Professionals > (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association; joint > statement) > Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above) > What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision > Development) > Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-needs.org/vision_therapy/ > esophoria_reading.html) > and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view: > http://www.visiontherapy.org/ > > Hope this helps somewhat ... > Sheila > > > *From:* Levingston, Brandi > *Sent:* Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM > *To:* AER > *Subject:* [AERNet] Vision therapy > > > Hello All, > > > > I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose > mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as > familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard > of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. > > > > *Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC* > > Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator > > Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation > > University of North Texas > > 1155 Union Circle #311456 > > Denton, TX 76203-5017 > > (940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY) > > (940) 565-3960 (fax) > > *Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu* > > > > ------------------------------ > You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and > Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. > > To post a message to all the list members, send an email to > aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. > > Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/ > mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to > unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. > _______________________________________________ > AERNet mailing list > AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org > http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org > > > You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and > Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. > > To post a message to all the list members, send an email to > aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. > > Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/ > mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to > unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. > _______________________________________________ > AERNet mailing list > AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org > http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org > >

CE

Carol Evans

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 5:12 PM

There was some research done at Salus University (formerly Pennsylvania
College of Optometry) a number of years ago that showed some positive
results with certain types of binocular vision dysfunctions. Suggest you
google that for details.

Carol

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 9:35 AM, terese pawletko teresepawl@gmail.com
wrote:

I believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric
Neuropsychology list serve have had this discussion and are concerned that
the research does not support these interventions re: impacting children's
learning...I don't have time to look up the references that they provided
as I'm drowning in evaluations but will try to do so in the next few weeks
Terese
Terese Pawletko Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Certified School Psychologist

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 11:12 AM, Sheila Amato brltrans@frontier.com
wrote:

Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field.
I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will
chime in with their thoughts.

Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental
optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such
as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor
dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A
student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes
don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy
issue.

As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of
20/70 in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I
believe... I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which
we typically provide service.

For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and
does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the
midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such
as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had
diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated
to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school
did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about
his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not
affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive!

But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First
of all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of
it from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now,
kids with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these
dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our
caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a
neurological issue that we can’t fix.

So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services
because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does
this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and
they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical
insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that
the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and
occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers
for this question.

There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and
I have such included:
Optometric Vision Therapy
Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American
Academy of Ophthalmology)
Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review
(American Academy of Pediatrics)
Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry)
Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied
Professionals (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric
Association; joint statement)
Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above)
What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision
Development)
Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-n
eeds.org/vision_therapy/esophoria_reading.html)
and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view:
http://www.visiontherapy.org/

Hope this helps somewhat ...
Sheila

From: Levingston, Brandi
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM
To: AER
Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy

Hello All,

I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose
mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as
familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard
of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC

Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator

Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation

University of North Texas

1155 Union Circle #311456

Denton, TX 76203-5017

(940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY)

(940) 565-3960 (fax)

Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu

You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to
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To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailma
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You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to
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Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailma
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unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives.

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http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org

You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and
Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv.

To post a message to all the list members, send an email to
aernet@lists.aerbvi.org.

Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org

To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/
mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to
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--
Carol Evans, PhD
School Psychologist (Retired and working in Tooele County School District)
http://www.aph.org/accessible-tests/position-papers/intelligence-testing/full/
http://www.aph.org/accessible-tests/position-papers/intelligence-testing/full/

There was some research done at Salus University (formerly Pennsylvania College of Optometry) a number of years ago that showed some positive results with certain types of binocular vision dysfunctions. Suggest you google that for details. Carol On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 9:35 AM, terese pawletko <teresepawl@gmail.com> wrote: > I believe that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Pediatric > Neuropsychology list serve have had this discussion and are concerned that > the research does not support these interventions re: impacting children's > learning...I don't have time to look up the references that they provided > as I'm drowning in evaluations but will try to do so in the next few weeks > Terese > Terese Pawletko Ph.D. > Licensed Psychologist > Certified School Psychologist > > > On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 11:12 AM, Sheila Amato <brltrans@frontier.com> > wrote: > >> Hi, Brandi – this has often been an area of controversy within our field. >> I’m going to explain as best as I can, and I trust that my colleagues will >> chime in with their thoughts. >> >> Optometric vision therapy is done by a behavioral or developmental >> optometrist. it is a medical intervention that addresses visual issues such >> as binocular dysfunction, accommodative dysfunction, oculomotor >> dysfunction, and visual perceptual/convergence disorders to name a few. A >> student with any of these issues can still have 20/20 acuity, but the eyes >> don’t work together properly. It’s a brain thing... not an eye-anatomy >> issue. >> >> As TVIs, we typically go by the legal definition of visual acuity of >> 20/70 in the best eye with correction, or a field restriction of (I >> believe... I’m retired now) 20 degrees. Those are the parameters by which >> we typically provide service. >> >> For kids with visual perceptual difficulties, their “vision” can – and >> does - affect their education. They often have difficulty crossing the >> midline, staying on the line, and sometimes have medical ramifications such >> as dizziness or headache when trying to do near-vision tasks. My son had >> diplopia as a child due to some of these visual perceptual issues. He hated >> to read. Vision therapy helped him somewhat... I paid for it. The school >> did not provide it as a service. As he grew older, I was concerned about >> his ability to drive. The OD told me that distance vision is typically not >> affected as much as near vision tasks... let him drive! >> >> But this opens up a huge concern for us as TVIs for many reasons. First >> of all, we are not licensed to do these medical interventions. But think of >> it from yet another perspective; our caseloads are already bursting. Now, >> kids with visual acuities of 20/20 or 20/40 come aboard because of these >> dysfunctions – yes, that DO affect their academic performance – and our >> caseloads explode... and the reason behind these dysfunctions is a >> neurological issue that we can’t fix. >> >> So if we tell the school district that we do not provide these services >> because they are a medical issue the parent/school asks, “well, who does >> this?” and we tell them about behavioral or developmental optometry, and >> they find out that these services are not typically covered by medical >> insurance; they have to pay out of pocket. The parent often “demands” that >> the school provide it... after all, schools pay for physical therapy, and >> occupational therapy... why not vision therapy? I don’t have any answers >> for this question. >> >> There are many resources on the internet... I’m looking at my folder, and >> I have such included: >> Optometric Vision Therapy >> Complementary Therapy Assessment for Learning Disabilities (American >> Academy of Ophthalmology) >> Pediatrics; Use of Visual Training for Reading Disabilities: A Review >> (American Academy of Pediatrics) >> Vision Therapy for Learning Disabilities (American Academy of Optometry) >> Vision Therapy; Information for Health Care and Other Allied >> Professionals (American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric >> Association; joint statement) >> Vision, Learning and Dyslexia (also joint statement by above) >> What is Optometric Vision Therapy? (College of Optometrists in Vision >> Development) >> Vision and Reading (http://www.children-special-n >> eeds.org/vision_therapy/esophoria_reading.html) >> and this is a website with a bit of a slanted view: >> http://www.visiontherapy.org/ >> >> Hope this helps somewhat ... >> Sheila >> >> >> *From:* Levingston, Brandi >> *Sent:* Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:00 AM >> *To:* AER >> *Subject:* [AERNet] Vision therapy >> >> >> Hello All, >> >> >> >> I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose >> mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as >> familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard >> of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. >> >> >> >> *Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC* >> >> Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator >> >> Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation >> >> University of North Texas >> >> 1155 Union Circle #311456 >> >> Denton, TX 76203-5017 >> >> (940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY) >> >> (940) 565-3960 (fax) >> >> *Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu* >> >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and >> Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. >> >> To post a message to all the list members, send an email to >> aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. >> >> Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org >> >> To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailma >> n/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to >> unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. >> _______________________________________________ >> AERNet mailing list >> AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org >> http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org >> >> >> You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and >> Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. >> >> To post a message to all the list members, send an email to >> aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. >> >> Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org >> >> To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailma >> n/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to >> unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. >> _______________________________________________ >> AERNet mailing list >> AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org >> http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org >> >> > > You are subscribed to AERNet, The Association for Education and > Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired Listserv. > > To post a message to all the list members, send an email to > aernet@lists.aerbvi.org. > > Address list requests to: aernet-request@lists.aerbvi.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, go to http://lists.aerbvi.org/ > mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org and follow instructions to > unsubscribe. Go to the same address to access the list archives. > _______________________________________________ > AERNet mailing list > AERNet@lists.aerbvi.org > http://lists.aerbvi.org/mailman/listinfo/aernet_lists.aerbvi.org > > -- Carol Evans, PhD School Psychologist (Retired and working in Tooele County School District) *http://www.aph.org/accessible-tests/position-papers/intelligence-testing/full/ <http://www.aph.org/accessible-tests/position-papers/intelligence-testing/full/>*

RS

Rebecca Sheffield

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 5:34 PM

Hi All -

I wanted to share that convergence insufficiency/binocular vision disorders/vision therapy (including educational and policy implications) is one of the "hot topics" on our agenda for the full-day Education Summit at AFB's Leadership Conference in March. Learn more, see the agenda, and register at www.afb.org/afblc http://www.afb.org/afblc
AFBLC runs Thursday, March 2, through Saturday, March 4. The Education Summit is scheduled for Thursday, March 2; there will be additional education-related sessions throughout the conference. Hope to see you there!

Thanks,

Rebecca

p.s. - As a former Texas TVI (and now seeing these issues at a national level), here are some resources that might help:

In my experience, when in Texas, cite Texas resources :) The Texas Education Agency document "2015 Guidelines and Standards for Educating Students with Visual Impairments in Texas" should be a go-to resource for helping explain what you do as a TVI in Texas. http://www.tsbvi.edu/attachments/EducatingStudentswithVIGuidelinesStandards.pdf (a description of the role of the TVI begins on page 25; providing vision therapy is not included in the description); this document states that the training and roles of the TVI are defined by the Council for Exceptional Children; so, you can reference the CEC's standards for TVI's (currently being revised - also a part of our discussion at AFBLC in March!), see http://community.cec.sped.org/dvi/professionalstandards - these standards do not include providing vision therapy. These two resources could be used to make the case that that any type of "therapy" is outside the scope of TVI's professional training and responsibilities. Focusing on the role and expertise of the TVI might help keep you out of some complicated conversations about the appropriateness and efficacy of vision therapy.
Take a look at this position paper from Arizona AER: http://azaer.aerbvi.org/documents/AERVIpositionpaper_10_21_14_final-onAZAERletterhead.pdf - it is specific to Arizona, but it may provide relevant guidance

From: AERNet [mailto:aernet-bounces@lists.aerbvi.org] On Behalf Of Levingston, Brandi
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:01 AM
To: AER aernet@lists.aerbvi.org
Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy

Hello All,

I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated.

Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC
Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation
University of North Texas
1155 Union Circle #311456
Denton, TX 76203-5017
(940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY)
(940) 565-3960 (fax)
Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu mailto:Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu

Hi All - I wanted to share that convergence insufficiency/binocular vision disorders/vision therapy (including educational and policy implications) is one of the "hot topics" on our agenda for the full-day Education Summit at AFB's Leadership Conference in March. Learn more, see the agenda, and register at www.afb.org/afblc<http://www.afb.org/afblc> AFBLC runs Thursday, March 2, through Saturday, March 4. The Education Summit is scheduled for Thursday, March 2; there will be additional education-related sessions throughout the conference. Hope to see you there! Thanks, Rebecca p.s. - As a former Texas TVI (and now seeing these issues at a national level), here are some resources that might help: * In my experience, when in Texas, cite Texas resources :) The Texas Education Agency document "2015 Guidelines and Standards for Educating Students with Visual Impairments in Texas" should be a go-to resource for helping explain what you do as a TVI in Texas. http://www.tsbvi.edu/attachments/EducatingStudentswithVIGuidelinesStandards.pdf (a description of the role of the TVI begins on page 25; providing vision therapy is not included in the description); this document states that the training and roles of the TVI are defined by the Council for Exceptional Children; so, you can reference the CEC's standards for TVI's (currently being revised - also a part of our discussion at AFBLC in March!), see http://community.cec.sped.org/dvi/professionalstandards - these standards do not include providing vision therapy. These two resources could be used to make the case that that any type of "therapy" is outside the scope of TVI's professional training and responsibilities. Focusing on the role and expertise of the TVI might help keep you out of some complicated conversations about the appropriateness and efficacy of vision therapy. * Take a look at this position paper from Arizona AER: http://azaer.aerbvi.org/documents/AERVIpositionpaper_10_21_14_final-onAZAERletterhead.pdf - it is specific to Arizona, but it may provide relevant guidance From: AERNet [mailto:aernet-bounces@lists.aerbvi.org] On Behalf Of Levingston, Brandi Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 10:01 AM To: AER <aernet@lists.aerbvi.org> Subject: [AERNet] Vision therapy Hello All, I have a friend working with a in an elementary school student whose mother requested vision therapy services for eye teaming. I am not as familiar with this and thought I would reach out to see if anyone had heard of this type of therapy. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. Brandi D. Levingston, PhD, CRC Senior Lecturer & Undergraduate Coordinator Department of Disability & Addiction Rehabilitation University of North Texas 1155 Union Circle #311456 Denton, TX 76203-5017 (940) 565-2234 (voice, TTY) (940) 565-3960 (fax) Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu<mailto:Brandi.Levingston@unt.edu>

KJ

Kopecky, Jeanne-Marie

Tue, Jan 31, 2017 5:37 PM

We have also seen a rise in referrals in this area. We found that the
information from “Clarifying the Different Roles and Training of TVIs and
COVTs and Why their Roles are not Interchangeable” (DRAFT AZ AER Vision
Therapy Position Statement, 2014, on-line) can be helpful when talking with
parents, teachers, and school nurses.

Jeanne-Marie Kopecky
Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind
Assistant Outreach Director * cell: 208-539-2862 fax:
208-934-8352*
Education Specialist ~ visually impaired/blind office: 208-934-4457
Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist j
eanne-marie.kopecky@iesdb.org jeanne-marie.kopecky@iesdb.org

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 9:34 AM, Patti Rosen pkowal52@gmail.com wrote:

Thank you Sheila for a helpful reply to a question that I have too. I
actually have a child on my caseload who in my informal observation and
chats with other related service providers did not seem to require vision
services. Eye teaming issues. Some peripheral field loss four years old and
well corrected acuity. While this child certainly benefits from one to one
attention and from a few simple tracking activities I do not think that his
muscle and neuro based difficulties can be fixed by me. He can use the
small icons on his communication device functionAlly. I do my best but find
myself at a bit of a loss. Thanks again for your thoughts and expertise