School Issues

• A Typical Scenario
• Is Your Child Struggling in School?
• National PTA Resolution on Vision Testing
• Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (NLD)
• Poor Standardized Test Scores: The Vision Connection
• Raising Awareness about Vision Disorders in Children
• Requests for Section 504 Accomodations
• Symptoms of Vision Problems that Cause School Troubles
• The Students Bill of Rights
• Vision and the Gifted Child
• Vision Problems Can Make School a Struggle
• When a Child Struggles, the Whole Family Struggle
• Why is School so Challenging for Your Child?

Reading Difficulties

• Retraining the Eyes Can Help Kids Read
• Success Stories
• The Eye Bone's Connected to the... Brain Bone
• Therapy for Poor Vision Can Be Real Eye-Opener
• Vision and Reading
• Vision and Developmental Dyslexia
• When Your Child Struggles

Vision and Perception

• Perceptually Impaired: Now What?
• Training the Eyes to Focus on Work
• Irlen Filters - Reading by the Colors
• Vision Changes as we Age

Requests For Section 504 Accommodations

by Dr. Leonard Press

Section 504, part of the Special Education law, provides a method for schools to accommodate children who are in need of special arrangements to improve their educational environment.

 

Many parents are already aware of the more common approaches to accommodate some of the processing problems related to vision, and they include:

Extra time for assignments

Use of large print material

Use of highlighters or organizers

Supplemental books on tape

Extra time for tests

Administering tests verbally

Special seating in the classroom

Schools often require information from professionals to justify the requests for accommodations. One of the tests that we use for this purpose is the Visagraph II, a computerized device that records the speed and accuracy of eye movements while reading. The patient's eye position is continuously monitored by infrared sensors during silent reading.

 

But the issue shouldn't remain there. While it's good to accommodate processing deficiencies, it's even better to administer vision therapy so that accommodations aren't necessary. While this isn't possible in all cases, we have helped many children for whom it is. Your school is responsible for educating your child, but it is your responsibility to provide your child with the tools he needs to learn.