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Vision Therapy
Vision therapy refers to an individualized treatment program supervised by professionals in order to correct the cognitive visual deficiencies resulting from a number of causes and consequences. The program is also known as vision training of the entire visual system including eyes, brain, and body. It is a neurological therapy to treat and train the patient’s brain about the usage of the eyes in receiving information, comprehending them quickly and react accordingly.
The cognitive deficiencies may result from excessive stress, trauma caused to the nervous system, hereditary contribution, or inadequate sensory development. Vision therapy is often compared to occupational or physical therapy in order to treat problems accompanying such kinds of deficiency including visual problems such as crossed or lazy eyes, double vision, convergence insufficiency and disabilities in reading. This non-surgical treatment is considered highly effective. It employs special computerized and optical devices and therapeutic lenses, prisms, and filters for the different procedures.
As far as learning disabilities are concerned, the visual problems affecting the ability to read, learn, and accept instructions are taken into consideration and tried to apprehend accordingly. However, the optometrists do not essentially claim that vision therapy might always lead to a direct and permanent solution to this particular disability.
Types of and Causes of Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is not a disease it is a condition. Cerebral refers to the brain and palsy means weakness or lack of muscle control. In addition, cerebral palsy is not a single problem, but a complex disease in which virtually all brain cell types could need repair. Approximately 90 percent of all cases are caused by brain injury during the prenatal period (before labor begins). This condition is caused by damage to brain cells that control the movement of muscles. A person with cerebral palsy can have mild to severe physical disabilities. There are varying degrees of therapies depending on the degree of condition. However, just because a person has cerebral palsy, it does not mean they will have other disabilities.
Causes and Risks
Recent studies suggest that cerebral palsy is mostly due to factors affecting the brain before birth. In about 70 percent of cases, cerebral palsy results from events occurring before birth that can disrupt normal development of the brain. This condition is caused by an injury to the brain during pregnancy, at birth, or shortly after birth. The symptoms are usually not noticeable at birth. It was previously assumed that it was caused by fetal distress, such as a lack of oxygen, during the birth process. However, lack of oxygen at birth has not been shown to be the major cause. The motor deficits of babies are usually unrecognizable before 4-6 months of age.
A preemie’s risk of cerebral palsy is much higher than that of a full-term baby. In addition, exposure to herpes group B viruses was associated with a two-fold increase in risk. Reproductive/urinary tract infections also may increase the risk in a preterm delivery. Preemie’s are already at risk for cerebral palsy and account for approximately one-third of the cases. Adequate prenatal care may reduce the risk of the unborn baby.
The What and Hows of ADDADHD in Children
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD or ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders of childhood and unfortunately most of its causes are unknown. It can persist through adolescence and into adulthood. According to the estimation of American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV-TR) 3%-7% of children suffer from ADHD. Some studies have estimated higher rates in community samples. Surprisingly, this dis-ease is diagnosed approximately three times more often in boys than in girls.
ADHD is a diagnosis applied to children and adults who consistently display certain characteristic behaviors over a period of time. The most common core features include:
ยท Distractibility (less concentration and poor sustained attention to tasks)
