How vision therapy can enhance reading skills in children with ADHD and autism
As a mother to an autistic daughter, I’ve spent countless hours navigating the complexities of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Every parent of an autistic child understands the unique challenges that can arise, particularly when it comes to learning and social interaction.
For my daughter, like many others, seemingly simple tasks can feel like monumental hurdles.
This is why a relatively lesser-known but increasingly vital area of support, vision therapy, has recently come to my attention.
Research has recently shown that a high percentage of autistic children struggle with underlying vision issues that profoundly affect their development, social engagement, and even anxiety levels.
For parents like me, discovering that something as fundamental as how our children see the world could be hindering their progress, especially in vital skills like learning to read, opens up a new avenue for hope and intervention.
Vision problems and autism
Many behaviours commonly associated with autism, such as poor eye contact, heightened sensitivity to light, and visual stimming (repetitive movements or actions involving vision), may actually stem from undiagnosed visual difficulties.
For a child with ASD, an inefficient or dysfunctional visual system can create immense distress and anxiety, making their environment feel overwhelming, disorganised, and confusing.
Common vision issues in autistic children include:
Visual-spatial misperceptions: Children may struggle to judge where objects and people are in space, leading to anxiety and difficulty navigating their surroundings.
Binocular vision problems: This occurs when the eyes do not work together effectively. A frequent issue is convergence insufficiency, which impacts the ability to focus properly.
Eye tracking and movement disorders: These involve difficulties with the accurate and smooth movement of the eyes, including conditions like strabismus (where an eye turns inward or outward).
Peripheral vision issues: Problems with the wider field of vision can affect a child’s ability to orient themselves in space and process their environment comprehensively.
@vividvisionsoptometry Dr. Antonyan, O.D. explains how binocular vision dysfunction makes reading harder than it should be. Words can blur, jump, or move on the page, leading to headaches, eye strain, and frustration. If reading feels exhausting, it could be BVD—and the right prism glasses or vision therapy can make all the difference. #BinocularVisionDysfunction #BVD #ReadingStruggles #PrismGlasses #VisionTherapy ♬ Stress – Perfect, so dystopian
How Vision Therapy can transform learning
Vision therapy focuses on strengthening the neurological connections between the eyes and the brain to enhance visual skills.
Because autism-related visual problems are often subtle, a comprehensive functional visual evaluation by a developmental optometrist is crucial for creating a personalised treatment plan.
This targeted therapy can lead to significant improvements:
Visual information processing: By helping a child understand their surroundings more clearly, vision therapy can markedly lower anxiety and stress levels.
Spatial organisation: As visual processing improves, children can feel more secure and comfortable in their environment, aiding in overall spatial awareness.
Eye contact: The therapy can enhance a child’s ability and comfort level with making and maintaining eye contact, a vital social skill.
Social and verbal skills: By reducing visual stress, therapy can create a calmer internal state, enabling better social engagement and more effective communication.
Posture, balance, and attention: The strategic use of prism lenses can offer immediate benefits in these areas by subtly shifting images, reducing visual confusion and improving a child’s ability to focus.
What Vision Therapy involves and what to expect
A vision therapy programme is a customised regimen of therapeutic exercises and activities.
Treatment may include:
Eye exercises:Activities specifically designed to improve eye-tracking, focusing, and coordination.
Therapeutic tools: Utilisation of specialised lenses, prisms, balance boards, and other equipment to help retrain the brain.
Prism lenses: These can be worn daily or during therapy sessions to aid in improving visual processing and perception.
Parents considering vision therapy should maintain realistic expectations.
While it is not an overnight cure, many children show noticeable improvement within the first year.
Vision therapy is often most effective when integrated into a broader, interdisciplinary treatment plan that addresses other developmental and educational needs.
It represents a powerful, evidence-based approach that can lead to significant positive changes over time, ultimately helping children with ASD and ADHD to navigate their world, and specifically the challenge of learning to read, with greater clarity and confidence.
IOL Lifestyle