Vision Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Visual problems are very common in autistic children, yet they often go undetected and/or untreated. All autistic children should undergo a thorough Functional Vision Assessment to evaluate their eye tracking, eye focussing and eye teaming skills as well as their visual information processing and central/peripheral vision.
Are you raising an Autistic Child?
Don’t let autism-related vision problems get in the way. Book a Vision Therapy Assessment with our Board-Certified Developmental Optometrist, Dr. Arora, for a thorough evaluation of their vision and visual skills
There is a
21-50%
higher incidence of strabismus (eye turn) in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Individuals with autism have a significantly reduced visual working memory compared to the general population
1 in 54
children are affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
ASD and Vision Problems
Children with ASD have difficulties in visual processing which commonly manifests as vision problems. Autistic individuals struggle with communication, interaction with other people as well as processing information from their senses. Vision-related autistic behaviours include:
Autistic individuals have been shown to have a poor visual working memory in comparison to the general population. Visual working memory is our ability to remember/ recall what we see. It is a crucial visual processing skill that we use frequently in learning such as solving math problems and social interactions such as reading body language and picking up on other common social cues in order to respond appropriately. A child with a reduced visual working memory would not only find it extremely difficult to perform well in school but also in social interactions with their friends.
Individuals with autism are visually defensive. They avoid eye contact or holding their vision still on one spot. They prefer to constantly scan their visual information instead of fixating in one place for an appropriate amount of time.
Vision Therapy for Children with Autism
The goal of vision therapy for children with autism is to help them interact with visual stimuli in their physical and social environment more comfortably without feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Specifically, vision therapy for ASD works on the following visual skills:
- Organization of visual space
- Improving visual working memory
- Improving eye tracking, eye focussing and eye teaming skills
- Attending to and appreciating central vision
- Gaining peripheral stability
- Improving all areas of visual information processing
Vision Therapy is a highly effective, individualized, one-on-one program that has been used for decades to improve the visual function of children and adults with ASD.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! A vision therapy assessment is different from a routine comprehensive eye examination. A vision therapy assessment examines the 17 visual skills required for a well-functioning visual system and involves a different battery of tests compared to a comprehensive eye exam.
No, you do not require a referral to book a vision therapy assessment. You can simply call our office at (825) 413-0912 to book an appointment.
Book an Appointment
Schedule a Vision Therapy Assessment with our board-certified developmental optometrist, Dr. Arora, for a thorough assessment of your visual skills and visual processing speed.