This post was something I originally sent to my Sizzlebop group, but wanted to post to my blog as well.  What is Sizzlebop?  For those of you who have children who would be more commonly called "ADD", "ADHD", or just seem to learn differently from other kids, there is a group to celebrate your children, and learn to work with them.  The group is called Sizzlebop and was started by Carol Barnier--author of How to Get Your Child Off the Refridgerator and on to Learning, and If I'm Diapering a Watermelon Then Where'd I Leave The Baby.  The group is at www.sizzlebop.com. 

The following is an exerpt of the post I sent to the group today:

This section is off topic, but something I have wanted to share with you for some time because I am confident that it is going to help my sizzlers, and I have seen other "sizzling" families be helped this way.  This week we began vision and sensory integration therapy for my oldest child--an 8yo girl.  What does this have to do with sizzlers, you may ask?  Many times the behavior characteristic of sizzlers (hyperactivity, distractibility or trouble concentrating, behavior problems, clumsiness, poor impulse control, poor handwriting, difficulty reading, difficulty copying things--especially from a blackboard, and many more) can be traced back to vision problems. 

 

When I talk about vision problems here, I do not mean eyesight.  Many kids with 20/20 eyesight still have vision problems.  Here vision problems are defined as the messages the brain receives from the eyes.  Some children have "developmental visual" problems.  In the same way some kids can be delayed in other areas such as talking or walking, doctors are discovering that many children are visually delayed or underdeveloped.  This problem can affect so many areas, and children who have these types of problems many times have sensory integration issues or SII (they will be hypersensitive to changes in sound, light, touch, taste, temperature, movement, smell, etc.), as well.  I am not an expert on these issues, but I intend to keep studying them now that I have discovered the link between them and my children's behavior. 

 

There are tests that can be performed to confirm whether or not your child has developmental visual problems and sensory integration issues.  After taking my child to see Dr. Sam Oliphant in Oklahoma City, who is a developmental optometrist (and also a Christian homeschooling father who spoke at the Oklahoma Christian Home Educators Convention last month), it was discovered that, indeed, my oldest child does have both developmental visual problems, along with the sensory integration issues.  The good news?  There is therapy that can be done for these issues that does not involve medication.  Some of the therapy is done in-office with my daughter, and some is done at home every day.  After visiting with several other homeschooling parents in my area who have gone through this therapy with their children, I heard confirming testimonies of its success with their children.  It has been life-changing for so many of these families. 

 

One of Dr. Oliphant's biggest suggestions was that most of these children need to get outside and play more, have more physical activity, do gross motor skills activities such as playing kickball, jumping on a trampoline, etc. and be trained to really observe things and use their eyes (check out Charlotte Mason education and teaching children to observe nature).  Play memory card games with them.  Have them look at a scene, close their eyes, and then try to describe it to you.  One of the biggest problems that many of these children have is that they cannot make mental pictures of things, or if they do make them, they don't retain them for very long.  This is a skill that can be practiced and learned.  Before you can expect a child to do anything--read, follow directions, handle social situations in an appropriate manner--they must be able to understand--and usually make a mental picture of what you need them to do.

 

Why does this affect reading?  If you see a word, such as "cannot", you can read it one of two ways.  One, phonetically, or two, by sight.  While phonics is a great tool, eventually readers have to get to the point where they have made a mental picture of the word and stored it in their brain, so that they don't have to "sound out" a word every time they come to it.  If they cannot do this, it will greatly impact their reading.  Many words in the English language aren't phonetic, so this poses an even greater problem.  These words must be recognized by sight, which is difficult or impossible for many of these children. 

 

Also, there are more complex issues such as eye movement (can their eyes follow the line of words properly on the page?), focusing (can their eyes stay in one place long enough to read the word?), and other eye issues that go along with the developmental visual problems.  Until the child's developmental vision is where it should be, they shouldn't even be pushed to learn to read, do copywork from a board, or anything that is not realistic given their limitations.  (It's like expecting someone with no legs to run a marathon.  Maybe they could get it done, but its just a lot harder than it should be.)  Instead, the time should be spent helping the child to develop their vision skills (see some of the suggestions above, or see what the vision therapist would recommend). 

 

One of the suggestions made to me as far as child-training was to specifically ask the child to make a mental picture of whatever you wanted them to do.  For example, if you want them to go upstairs and get the hairbrush, as you give them this instruction, pause afterwards and ask them to get a mental picture in their mind of what you are asking them to do--before sending them to do it ("Can you see yourself walking up the stairs and going into the bathroom?  Now, can you see yourself opening the drawer and removing the hairbrush?  Can you see yourself walking back downstairs and handing it to me?  Do you have the picture?  Well, good--go get it.")  .  Only give one task at a time, since these kids usually cannot get very many mental pictures at a time.  Using this technique, there is a greater chance of a positive outcome, and it usually results in less distractibility along the way. 

 

Many times this is a hereditary condition (haven't you mentioned that often one of the Sizzler's parents was also a Sizzler?), and in our case, my husband, "the Sizzler", has reading problems ("dyslexic"), is distractible, has sensory integration issues (he's especially sensitive to light and touch), and had learning and behavioral problems when he was in school.  If one of the parents or other siblings is a Sizzler, it is even more important to consider the possibility of visual or sensory integration issues.

 

For anyone interested in learning more about this, there is tons of information on the internet.  Google search "sensory integration issues" and you can read more than you ever wanted to know.  I would recommend anyone who parents a Sizzler to at least consider getting the child a developmental visual screening and possibly check them for sensory integration issues, as well.  This is usually done at a "developmental optometrist".  You may just have to call the optometrists in your area, and find out of they do this since most do not.  If they are in Oklahoma, I can highly recommend Dr. Oliphant. 

 

I hope this blesses someone else's family the way it has blessed ours.

 

We are celebrating this week.  Now that we've realized what the problem is, this is a new beginning.  I can homeschool my daughter with understanding and direction, having realistic expectations now that I understand more about her limitations.  God knew what he was doing when he gave her to me, and he has a plan for her and her life (and for me as her mother).  He is good and every good and perfect gift is from above.