Speech-Language Pathologists
"We seamlessly process objects, words, shapes, colors, movement and faces simultaneously within milliseconds with the mechanism rarely, if at all, flickering into our consciousness. Perhaps because of the apparent ease with which we are able to see, we live with the illusion that seeing is easy."
Have you ever considered the vital role of vision in enhancing speech therapy outcomes for your clients?
Vision: Beyond 20/20 Eyesight
Seeing is an intricate process that often goes unnoticed due to its apparent ease. When your client receives an eye examination and reads the letters on the bottom line of the test chart, hearing that they have 20/20 eyesight might seem like a green light. But there’s more to vision than meets the eye.
When you read, you need to point both your eyes with great precision at the same place on the page (eye teaming) and you need to keep the image clear (eye focusing). You also need to be able to transfer your gaze accurately from word to word, and line to line (eye-tracking). The information is imaged on the back of the eye (the retina) and is then sent to the brain to be interpreted (visual processing). When our brain finally makes sense of all that information, we “see” it. Essentially, we see with our brain but gather the information with our eyes. Seeing is something we do! And we do much more with our visual system than just see small from far. Just read some examples of how life-changing improving these skills can be here.
Your clients need good vision
For your clients to succeed in speech therapy, they need not just good vision but optimal vision. Take the example of the young girl carefully studying her therapist’s face. Her ability to maintain visual focus (accommodation), synchronize eye movements (convergence), and scan the details of her therapist’s face plays a pivotal role in speech therapy. This is about “doing seeing” easily. Maintaining visual focus directly influences mental focus.
Moreover, if she is using a lot of resources to “do seeing”, she may not be able to have enough resources to process proprioceptively, affecting the organization of correct movements of her lips, tongue etc.
ADHD, boredom or undiagnosed vision issues?
In this picture, the child is looking neither at the therapist nor at the letter on the screen.
She might just be distracted. But she might be far-sighted, have an eye-focusing, or an eye-teaming issue. It might look like ADHD, but it could be an issue with how well she is able to do seeing.
What can you do to help?
So, what can you do to help your clients unlock their full potential? If you suspect that your client is grappling with visual challenges, recommend a visit to a board-certified developmental optometrist. For a list of signs and symptoms, refer to our Vision Therapy Page. Not every optometrist specializes in developmental optometry, so we’ve made It convenient for you to locate the nearest one here.
A developmental optometrist evaluates how well your client manages the visual demands of their daily tasks and may prescribe specialized glasses for tasks involving near vision. This will help them maintain focus on your face, if this is something they struggle with. They might also suggest optometric vision therapy, a supervised program to enhance vision skills, including eye teaming, eye tracking, and eye focusing, while improving visual processing. To understand more about how vision therapy can improve life visit this page.
Want to learn more from an expert?
Book Robert Lederman for your next meeting, whether it’s live, hybrid, or an online seminar. Learn from one of the best in the field about how vision impacts speech therapy success.
Transform your next event with a captivating lecture from Robert Lederman
Contact us at the office today and find out more about his live presentations and webinars on the critical role of vision in our lives
I am not just an optometrist; I am a passionate advocate, educator, and speaker with a track record of over 400 presentations. I am on a mission to contribute towards awakening the world to the critical role that vision plays in determining our performance in various areas of life.
Through engaging live speaking events, I have had the privilege of sharing my expertise with professionals across diverse fields, including remedial teachers, neurologists, educational psychologists, occupational and physical therapists, family doctors, ophthalmologists, music teachers and more.
Together, we explore the profound impact that vision has on their work, uncovering new possibilities and strategies for enhancing patient outcomes. With a personalized and interactive approach, I create memorable experiences that empower and inspire. Let’s connect at your next conference, event or webinar where I can bring my wealth of experience and insights to ignite a collective understanding of the extraordinary power of vision in transforming lives.
Learn From a Vision Expert
Invite Robert Lederman to Speak
It’s time for speech therapists all over the world to understand how undiagnosed issues of visual efficiency might be holding their clients back. Invite sought-after lecturer Robert Lederman to your next event for an unforgettable experience and delve into the fascinating world of vision.
Robert Lederman has 35 years’ experience in clinical diagnosis and management of learning, attention, and performance-related vision issues. He has seen over 17,500 patients in his clinic, LedermanVision.
Robert Lederman has been sharing what he knows about vision for 35 years. He is a sought-after lecturer, fascinating and enthralling audiences time after time as he shares his knowledge, research findings and clinical observations regarding the pervasive role of vision in our life, and all that can be done to improve the way we do seeing. He is a visiting lecturer at The Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, Haifa University and has delivered over 400 presentations around the world about many aspects of vision. And he is ready to enrich your professional group too!
