How Vision Effects the Learning Process in Autistic Children

Dr. Jeffrey Becker (middle) with Mrs. Becker and Mark Raisbeck

On September 22, 2010 the NAA-NY Metro Chapter hosted Jeffrey Becker, O.D., Director of Vision Services, NeuroSensory Center for Eastern Pennsylvania as he gave an interactive lecture on visual deficiency in autistic children. In a room of about thirty people Dr. Becker presented a slide show and spoke about how vision problems affect perception, eye movement and accommodation but he best got his point across by demonstrating how autistic children see things by use of glasses. Dr. Becker showed how seeing things differently altered the way autistic children reacted to certain situations such as walking around and having to touch their surroundings to accommodate for what they couldn’t perceive with their vision. According to Dr. Becker, 80% of learning is through visual experiences and as autism is a sensory disorder, responding to visual deficiencies can make great changes in an autistic child’s progress.

Vision Rehabilitation is an option for autistic children that tests depth perception, poor eye movement, hand-eye coordination, perceptual skill, field loss, and double vision in children. The genetic history is also very important in testing for visual deficiencies. Visual therapy is just as important as a diet, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy and should be maintained throughout the child’s life. Computer visual therapy is the most effective as it takes out human error. With early intervention and maintaining visual therapy, there could be a 60-70% recovery rate for children with autism.

For more information Dr. Becker can be reached at jbecker@KEYSTONENSC.com
Phone: 570-763-0054

By: Patricia Rollins