Jackson, Age 9

We had always noticed that our son had difficulty with focus and impulsiveness. After consulting with our family physician he was referred for a full psychological evaluation. I was confident that I would be told he had ADHD. What I learned was drastically different. He 100% could attend to tasks, however once the information entered his brain it was lost. He was diagnosed with a visual processing delay and referred for additional testing with a vision therapist.  When we started working with Dr. Sanders I immediately felt at home. From the first test to the last day of therapy it was like spending time with family! Testing revealed that in addition to the visual processing delay he also had convergence insufficiency. When Dr. Sanders demonstrated what reading looked and felt like to my son, it finally made sense! No wonder he was reluctant to read, had headaches and rolled around/appeared uncomfortable. Reading was physically painful. We were also seeing some defiant behaviors at home. He would simply refuse to do tasks. What Dr. Sanders explained to us was that the information was going in but then the processing delay prevented him from comprehending or understanding what was being said. Rather than saying, “I don’t understand” it was easier to just avoid. Dr. Sanders explained the process, treatment and his symptoms in a way that made sense. He received therapy for approximately 16 months. We are about 9 months post therapy right now and I’m happy to report that he is doing amazingly well. He is on track at school and we no longer see any defiant behavior! His printing is close to perfect and his comprehension has dramatically improved. He has read 7 books already this school year (November). We were lucky to get that many in one year before therapy. Vision therapy also improved his athletic performance.  My biggest takeaway from vision therapy and this entire process is if you are a parent who senses something “off” with your kiddo – GET THEM CHECKED OUT!!! Trust your gut. There is help out there for every deficit. Maybe vision therapy isn’t the answer but if it is, I highly recommend Dr. Sanders and Ms. Deb! Just a little advice – If you do find yourself or your kiddo in vision therapy, do the homework that is assigned! You will only get out of it what you put in. It is worth the time and energy!