This week we had Drum and Dime's vision tested. They were checked for sight problems and convergence problems. Their sight is fine, but their vision is not. Anotherwards, they see fine, but what their brain does with what they see and how they see, is not. The Dr. said that Drum sees for reading like someone was throwing a ball at him with a strobe light on, and he is trying to catch it. He relies heavily on memory. His left eye is turning off and on. It is called convergence problems. I've got alot more reading to do on the subject.
I don't even want to make them read until after we go through the vision therapy. They will go two times a week for about 2-3 months. I can't believe it. I had heard about vision therapy a couple years ago, but didn't know where to go. I worried it was just a false hope. My boys have been struggling with reading for so many years, and I've tried so many things. I knew they weren't dumb, but I thought maybe they just didn't want to, etc. Well, duh!, they wouldn't want to! That's alot of work to do something I call, Fun! Read?!
Dime had been saying for years that he reads about 10 min. and his eyes get so tired. I had both of their eyes checked a couple years ago, and they came back totally normal sight. The Dr. I took them to did not know how to check them for these types of problems.
This spring, while the girls were taking ballet, I talked with the other moms. I found out that one of them takes a couple of their kids to vision therapy. Really?! I found out the name and number of the Dr., and after wondering back and forth whether it was worth the cost; I finally made appointments. I was thinking to mostly rule it out as a possibility.
I feel so sorry for not pursuing this earlier in my boys' lives. I have been helping them over the years, so that they could continue to learn, while working on their reading. I read their textbooks, and did alot of schoolwork orally. This year I really pushed the most I have so far with making them read. It was really hard, but they kept at it. Now I feel proud of them, for how hard they worked at it.
I am so relieved to think that there is a physical problem that we can actually help them with so that they can really read and be better test takers. They have been struggling with tests. I had a adult who was helping Drum with a test comment that he told him the right answer and then marked the wrong answer on the test. We both wondered about that, but I just told my son to be very careful in marking his answers. I'm thinking maybe he is just losing his spot. Duh!! He is losing his spot. I would too, if I had a strobe light going on while I tried to find the right circle to fill in.
I found out that Drum's grandpa, Al, hated school and had trouble reading. He would cover one eye so that he could read better. A classic symptom for this type of problem. Al said his dad struggled as well. My husband is a very slow reader (I read 3-4 pages to his one), but loves to read. I always wondered if maybe the boys just had his reading style, but missed out on the "loves to read" part. I think dh loves to read for the information he gets while reading - same as his Dad, Al. It feeds their brains and their love of learning. So despite the pace at which they read, they don't give up and just keep at it. For both of them, I think age eventually helped. They were desperate enough to want to read for the information, and maybe their brains learned how to cope for them. Now I'm wondering if they should be tested. Sure would be interesting.
I am nervous that we will go through the therapy and nothing will change, and excited that there is hope. I'll let you know....
3 comments:
That's very interesting. I've never heard of such a thing. Is this something that is passed from generation to generation, perhaps more in boys than girls? I hope the therapy helps them!
I had a similar problem so we went to the doctor's and they said I needed vision therapy. The thing is, we would've had to travel and hour to get there three times a week and the price was outrageous. They had an at-home therapy which you put on the computer and it worked great. Two people I know went to the vision therapy place and they said it was just fine. I hope everything goes well for you and them!
Wow, it is always hard to find out your child has had a problem and you forced them to work through it. But to find out something really is wrong and that you can fix it! Wow, that is always a good feeling!
We went through that with Devon, he couldn't read until 5th grade, evne though he KNEW all the phonetic sounds and rules, he couldn't put them together.
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