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Is Your Child's Vision Developing Normally? |
A Child Who Can't See Well, May Not Think Well Children learn about the world around them by using the information gathered mainly by their eyes. Parents, teachers and others who want to help a child develop his/her full potential need to consider a child's vision skills. Good vision is of vital importance, because children grow up in a world that demands more of their vision than any other sense. |
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"We cannot speak of vision and intelligence - they are one and the same thing." |
Seven Times Smarter: 50 Activities, Games and Projects to Develop the Seven Intelligences of Your Child |
This statement was made over 50 years ago by a noted psychologist and researcher on brain function, Ward C. Halstead, Ph.D. Dr. Halstead's profound insight underscores the vital role of vision in thinking and learning. But even today, the importance of good vision to a child's ability to read and learn is not always fully appreciated. Too often vision problems are thought to be due to the inability to focus images properly on the back of the eye due to nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. But the process of seeing doesn't stop at the back of the eye. Visual information is sent to the brain from both eyes through the optic nerves. Our brain matches these visual images with information from our other senses and past experiences to allow us to understand what we see. That's why vision is said to be a doorway to intelligence. Seeing Better Can Mean Being Smarter Eliminating a vision problem can open the door to enhanced learning potential. When the barrier of a vision problem is removed, a child can respond more effectively to learning in the classroom and at home. Too many children are not succeeding in school because of problems getting their eyes and brain to work together. Most often, these problems are not related to how clearly they can see the board at the front to the classroom, but how well their eyes and brain can acquire and process what they are seeing. There is a saying in computer programming - garbage in, garbage out (GIGO). It is no different with the visual information a child's brain receives. If poor vision causes faulty data to be provided to the brain, thinking and learning will suffer. Eye Training Can Help a Child to "See Smarter" Training the eyes and brain "to see" helps children do better in school. A program of eye exercises called vision therapy can train the eyes and brain to work together better. |
This book provides parents with interesting activities that give kids new skills for learning. |
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Vision therapy, also called visual training, is a program of visually-guided exercises used to change and improve how a child sees. It enhances needed visual abilities such as eye focusing, eye teaming, eye movements and visual information processing. |
Vision therapy successfully addresses eye-brain problems that affect how a child's eyes acquire visual information and how the brain processes it. Once a vision problem is corrected, the child becomes a much better learner. |
These fun games can help develop vision skills, concentration and critical thinking. |