Preparing for achievement tests By Dr. S. Moshe Roth How do you prepare a child who is struggling with reading for the NJASK? One of the most important steps a parent can take is to schedule a developmental vision evaluation even if your child has had previous vision exams or screenings. Undiagnosed vision problems can make it difficult for a child to make sense out of what they are reading, causing poor performance on written tests. Neurologists, Drs. Fernette and Brock Eide, in their new book "The Mislabeled Child," explain that if a child has a vision problem it can have "drastic effects on brain development, learning, and thinking if it prevents the flow of accurate information to the brain." Too often parents assume that if a child passes a vision screening, then everything is fine with their eyes. This is not necessarily true. Being able to see things clearly far away is no guarantee that a child can see things up close. In order to read, children not only have to see the letters clearly, but they have to be able to move their eyes easily from left to right (tracking) and be able to sustain that effort for long periods of time. One in four children have an undiagnosed vision problem that can interfere with learning and lead to academic problems, behavioral problems. According to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, up to 60 percent of children that are struggling with learning disabilities may have correctable but yet undetected vision problems that play a significant role in their difficulties with reading and learning. Since children assume that everyone sees the same way that they do, they rarely report symptoms. If your child struggles with reading, please ask yourself the following questions. Does your child: +Omit or substitute small words (like of for for, or if for of, etc.)? +Get frustrated trying to read or do homework? +Take much longer doing his/her homework than expected? +Have trouble making out words? +Is slow when copying or make lots of errors? +Find it harder to read at the end of the day than in the morning? +Skip words or repeat lines when reading out loud to you? +Reverse letters like b's into d's when reading? +Have a short attention span with schoolwork? Even one of these symptoms could signal a possible vision problem. Regular eye exams typically evaluate only eye health, acuity (how clearly you can see the eye chart) and the need for glasses (or contact lenses). In order to determine if your child has a vision-based learning problem it is important to see a Developmental Optometrist who will provide a Developmental Vision Evaluation to test: eye movement control, focusing near to far, sustaining clear focus, eye teaming ability, depth perception, visual motor integration, visual memory, and visual perceptual skills. The good news is that unlike other disabilities, most vision based learning problems can be solved. For more information, visit www.njeyesite.com. S. Moshe Roth, Optometric Physician, practices at Family Eye Care, in Old Bridge. He is a developmental optometrist and provides specialized services in the diagnosis and treatment of vision-based learning problems. Dr. Roth is a popular speaker with parents and professional groups and may be reached at 1-732-679-2020.