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What is
BEHAVIORAL OPTOMETRY & OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
In our practice in Bethesda, Maryland,
we combine Vision Therapy with Sensory Integration Therapy. Dr. A. J. Ayres, one
of the initial pioneers in this specialty stated that "Sensory integrative
dysfunction is to the brain what indigestion is to the digestive tract." The
brain essentially is not processing or organizing the flow of sensory impulses
in a manner that gives the individual reliable and precise information about
self and surroundings.
Binocular Vision Dysfunction or eye
teaming difficulties can significantly reduce the child's ability to efficiently
process visual information, resulting in fatigue with reading, comprehension
dropping with time, avoidance of reading and other nearpoint activities, as well
as poor self esteem, self concept, frustration, and attention problems.
Children that need Sensory Integration
and Vision Therapy can seem withdrawn, stubborn, lazy, overly aggressive, or
have learning, motor, behavior, or attention problems. It is almost as if there
is a sort of "traffic jam" in the brain. If we think of the brain as a large
city and the neural impulses as the automobile traffic, we can get a good
picture of the chaos that these kids are operating under.
Symptoms can include: loss of place when
reading, skipping words, comprehension decreasing with time, avoidance of
reading, fatigue, headaches, getting to the bottom of the page and wondering
what was read, distracible, overly active, withdrawn, poor self confidence, poor
posture, difficulty remembering what he/she reads, becomes excited with lots of
visual stimuli, overly sensitive to touch, sounds, needs directions repeated,
seems clumsy, avoids sports.
These problems can result from
nutritional deprivation, difficulties in pregnancy, labor, delivery, hereditary
factors, environmental factors, & emotional or physical abuse. Frequently there
is no known reason for the difficulties. Successful treatment outcomes can
depend upon early intervention.
Behavioral Optometrists and Sensory
Integration Occupational Therapists adopt a whole-person, integrated, functional
approach to treatment. Unfortunately, despite the rather broad base of
philosophical and treatment approach similarities between the two professions,
these similarities have remained relatively well-kept secrets from one another
and often from the patients and parents who need this collaboration the most. In
our practice, some children and adults receive only Vision Therapy and some
receive only Sensory Integration Therapy, but many receive BOTH, oftentimes with
dramatic results.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Sensory Integration: Optometric and
Occupational Therapy Perspectives (BV253)
A BOOK BY: Stanley A. Appelbaum, OD,
FCOVD
PUBLISHED BY:
Optometric Extension Program Foundation,
Inc.
1921 E. Carnegie Avenue Suite #3L
Santa Ana, California 92705-5510
714-250-8070
Facsimile 714-250-8157
800-424-8070
www.healthy.net/oep
SENSORY INTEGRATION INTERNATIONAL
http://home.earthlink.net/~sensoryint/
Stanley A. Appelbaum, OD, FCOVD
Pediatric Behavioral Optometrist Board
Certified in Vision Therapy
Barbara S. Bassin, OTR/L, BCP
Pediatric Occupational Therapist Board
Certified in Sensory Integration
6509 Democracy Blvd.
Bethesda, Maryland 20817
301-897-8484
Facsimile 301-897-8486
E-mail:
DrStrab@erols.com
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