About the Padula Institute of Vision

The Padula Institute of Vision (PIV) offers a unique “Learn to See” developmental program to assess how the child is using his/her vision to succeed in learning. The assessment is designed to analyze how a child is using his/her visual process to manage the functional visual skills such as fixations, tracking, releasing from fixation, quick eye movements, converging, and focusing the eyes. The quality of how a child coordinates these visual skills affects reading, writing, learning in the classroom, and coordination in sports. The following are some common behaviors that often indicate a child who is experiencing interference with vision processing:

• Loss of attention and concentration

• Daydreaming

• Poor handwriting

• Clumsiness

• Headaches

• Upset stomach

• Loses place when reading

• Blurring during and/or after reading

• Lack of retention with reading and learning

• Problem-solving difficulties

• Difficulties respecting other children’s personal territory

Problems with a child’s vision requires a different way of testing than routine eye examinations or screenings do. The visual examination for a child must analyze visual development and the methods of how he/she processes visual information within the brain for coordination of visual skills. A child’s vision is different from an adult’s vision and requires a vision exam that is sensitive to the quality of how a child is attempting to use his/her vision. When a child is having visual problems, it can interfere with his/her developmental age, perceptual abilities, social development, and can cause stress.

 

The “Learn to See” program is provided by a team of professionals with over seventy-five years of combined experience in working with children who have problems with vision, development, learning, and behavior. In addition to the careful visual assessment, the team will analyze the developmental age of a child and his/her abilities affecting long and short-term memory skills, fine motor and perceptual motor coordination, ability to follow directions, organizational skills, cognitive maturity, mathematical and logical thinking, clarity of speech, and language expression.

 

Special attention is also placed on identifying areas of stress for a child that might inhibit his/her progress in school. Often, we hear or read about issues of stress in the adult world but the stresses on a child are seldom addressed. Also explored and built upon are the strengths of the family and child in order to create successful experiences for all family members. Individual stress resiliency techniques for the child and family will be shared as needed. These techniques create a personal “toolbox” that each person can use when confronted with stressful situations.

PIV is an interdisciplinary center devoted to working with children and adults. A core-type understanding of vision problems is examined through the neuro­optometric rehabilitation assessment and used in an integrated approach to vision therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy. In addition, PIV offers reading assessment and remediation through the Halapin “Letter Dynamics” and “Think Tracks” programs.

 

At PIV, we also provide special visual and therapeutic programs for children and adults with Autism, PDD, ADD, and ADHD.

 

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Go to the Padula Institute of Vision Website to learn more