“Wait…my child’s vision can be improved in occupational therapy!?”
Yep. And we’re not talking about just getting them in a great pair of glasses.
August is Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month, which is a good time to share one of the most exciting, and possibly least understood, aspects of occupational therapy…Visual Motor Integration!
Your child’s vision isn’t just about how clearly they see. It’s about how their brain uses that visual information. At Rehab Specialists of Idaho, our pediatric occupational therapists work on improving visual motor integration, how the eyes and body coordinate to do things like write, read, play sports, and pay attention to a teacher (or mom!).
Now to be clear–occupational therapists don’t prescribe glasses or replace vision therapy from an optometrist–what they DO is help build the skills that support:
Visual attention and focus
Eye coordination and tracking
Hand-eye coordination
Reduced visual fatigue
Success in reading, writing, and play
Glasses improve what the eyes see. Visual motor integration treatments in occupational therapy improves how the brain uses that information.
Has this subject caught your eye? Want to learn more? Give us a call to meet with an occupational therapist and see how they can help your child.
Signs occupational therapy might be needed