Build a Foundation: Learn to Focus
Build a Foundation: Learn to Focus
There are so many children diagnosed with ADD and ADHD these days. Some kids are struggling to pay attention in class or are labeled as the class clowns or troublemakers at school or other organized events. Whether it be a hyperactivity or an inattention to task, could there be a common thread that was missing when we evaluated these children? We utilized standardized tools such as the Bruininks, VMI ,WOLD and Jebsen. They all tended to score below their same aged peers on these tests, handwriting was poor and sometimes it just didn’t seem like they heard what you were telling them.
Vision Therapists are Using IM to treat ADD/ADHD
Check out this artcle published in "The Dispatch" on September 17, 2011
Written by: Jan Swoope- jswoope@cdispatch.com
The eyes have it: Some find life-altering results in vision therapy
On Wednesday, 10-year-old Matt Morel of Caledonia came home from school with a social studies assignment and 10 or so questions to answer about Christopher Columbus. The everyday task might seem ho-hum in most households, but that the fifth-grader could tackle it on his own is cause for joy as far as his parents, Melanie and Keith, are concerned. A year ago, he couldn't have.
"Before Matt had vision therapy, there was no way he could read that and do it," declared his dedicated mom, who used to spend hour after frustrating hour trying to help her son slog through homework. "Even if he had an open book for an exercise in class, it was useless."
Many parents who hear the diagnosis ADD or ADHD are sent into a tailspin of information overload and “friendly” advice from a variety of sources. As a pediatric Occupational Therapist, I am often faced with the task of helping parents and caregivers interpret what the information they have been given means for their child. Here are a few common questions I get during evaluations: “Will medication really help my child?”; “Why aren’t the medications helping my child sleep at night?”; “When can we expect to wean our child off medication now that he’s started therapy?” and, “Will a special diet be a substitute for medication?”ADD and ADHD: To Medicate or Not?
