Foundations for Learning Centre
Enhancing Your Child's Vision and its Learning Connection
Visual distortion patterns that reduced performance in school are treatable – 9 out of 10 students improve their NeuroVision skills through vision therapy and achieve success in school.
Vision and Learning
Seeing is our dominant sense and over 80% of learning channels through our eyes. Visual distortion patterns have a profound effect on learning; students may be working twice as hard to achieve their academic success.
Parents often do not recognize for their children, that it takes over 12 NeuroVision skills to succeed at reading, learning, sports and life. Just one of those is your child’s basic visual acuity (their 20/20 eye sight).
For 10 to 20% of children, the effortless process of making sense of what is seen is not robust; one or more NeuroVision skills may be fragile and lose their auto-pilot mode with stress or while in the course of learning to read.
If vision problems are left un-treated then the learning potential gap widens, students continue to work twice as hard for their academic success, and this may even restrict the of other remediation efforts.
OVERCOMING LEARNING-RELATED VISION PROBLEMS Visual distortion patterns that reduce performance in school are treatable – 9 out of 10 patients are successful at driving their neuro-learning to improve their NeuroVision skills, given diligent effort.
Dr. Gall’s goal is to boost your child’s eye-brain connection, to be better than it was, and increase their NeuroVision reserve for learning today and in the future.
A CONCUSSION IS A FORM OF MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
Concussions are a result from a direct blow to the head, or indirectly from something such as whiplash.
The impact causes the brain to hit against the inside of the skull causing brain bruising. It is estimated that nearly ½ a million (~500,000) concussions occur yearly in the Canada.
CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS CAN PERSIST
10% of concussions result in symptoms that can last months, or more. When these symptoms are unrelenting, the patient is diagnosed with Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPCS). Although most concussion resolve within one month.
NEUROVISION SYMPTOMS
CONCUSSIONS HAVE THESE TYPICAL SYMPTOMS
- Confusion
- Headache*
- Disorientation
- Vomiting and/or Nausea
- Unsteadiness*
- Light sensitivity*
- Blurred Vision*
- Double vision*
- Loss of place when reading*
- Post-traumatic amnesia
- Dizziness*
THE MISSING LINK
UP TO 1/2 OF SYMPTOMS ARE VISUAL, MEANING VISION IS OFTEN THE MISSING LINK.
Recent research suggests that over 50% of patients with concussion or post-concussion syndrome have visual problems that may cause headaches, eye-headaches, double vision, eye strain, blurred vision or dizziness.
Since seeing is our dominant-sense and about 80% of learning channels through our eyes, Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPCS) may cause students to have decreased reading speed and comprehension, or to work twice as hard for their current academic success.
For some children with PPCS, the effortless process of making sense of what is seen is altered. One or more NeuroVision skills for learning may be fragile and lose their auto-pilot mode and result in interference with learning.
OVERCOMING LEARNING-RELATED VISION PROBLEMS SECONDARY TO CONCUSSION
Optometrists have a great understanding of NeuroVision. They have the opportunity to retrain the eye-brain connectin through neuro-optics or a a program of vision therapy This helps eliminate the neurovision symptoms most commonly associated with Persistent Post-Concussion Syndrome (PPSC) and enhance vision and its learning connection.
GETTING TREATMENT
YOU WILL WANT AN OPTOMETRIST DEDICATED TO NEUROVISION
NeuroVision represents a specific area of optometry, which addresses deficits in eye-teaming, focusing, visual tracking, visual processing problems, and related visual problems. These NeuroVision problems are common with patients who have concussion and other forms of acquired brain injury. Treatment may involve standard optical correction, neuro-optics and vision therapy which can provide improve vision and improve life.
Vision therapy entails a variety of non-surgical therapeutic procedures designed to vitalize visual function. Vision therapy involves a series of treatments during which carefully planned activities are carried out by the patient under professional supervision. The targeted treatments are determined by the nature and severity of the diagnosed condition. Vision therapy is done to enhance the eye-brain connection to boost performance – not to simply strengthen eye muscles.
What Symptoms to Look for in your child:
- Working twice as hard to reach their academic success
- Poor reading performance
- Difficulty finishing written-work in the allotted amount of time
- Distractibility
- Poor attention
- Difficulty copying from board to paper or from book to paper
- Responds better verbally than in writing
- Seems to know the material but does poorly on written tests
- Better comprehension when story is read to them
- Struggling in school
- Not reaching their academic potential
- Loses place when reading
- Uses ruler, guide or finger when reading
- Letter (number) reversals
- Difficulty spelling
- Difficulty learning simple words
- Difficulty recognising the same word repeated on page
- Mistakes words with similar beginnings (eg. ‘search’ for ‘season’)
- Sloppy handwriting or drawing skills
- Poor spacing between numbers or words
Parents often do not recognize that it takes over 12 NeuroVision skills for their child to succeed at reading, learning, sports and life. Just one of those is your child’s basic visual acuity – their 20/20 eye sight.
Dr. GAll HAs 4 STEPS TO DETERMINE IF NEUROVISION IS THE DIFFERENCE.
1. A Complete Digital Exam is the first step. If an eye exam has been completed within 12-months then it does not need to be repeated. The goal is to ensure your child’s eyes are healthy.
Then Dr. Gall will present and check performance with standard optical corrections, and importantly with neuro-optic corrections, for your child’s success.
Diagnostic testing may require dilating drops to ensure the best optical prescription.
2.Determine candidacy for the Foundations for Learning Centre– Enhancing Vision and Its Learning Connections, by completing a 2-hour Initial Assessment. This testing is a critical appraisal of 12 NeuroVision skills of learning, that goes far beyond the basic eye exam and 20/20 vision clarity. If two or more of the 12 NeuroVision skills tested are significantly below normal, then these visual distortion patterns are anchors reducing performance in school for your child. For your review, your child’s findings are presented in a 20-page Report and Profile of NeuroVision skills and symptoms.
3.Initiate vision therapy if two or more of the 12 NeuroVision skills tested are significantly below normal. Depending on the number NeuroVision skills below normal, vision therapy is scheduled over 2 or more Blocks (each Block is 6 weeks long). The Doctor-Directed program is delivered to your child by a vision therapist twice per week (45-minutes for in-office and 30-minutes for Tele-iCare sessions). End-of-Block Evaluations are compared to the Initial Assessment findings by Dr. Gall to target your child’s treatment for success.
4.Home support activities are essential for success. These home support activities use specific software programs and custom eye-exercises. Your child does them for 30 minutes per day,5 times per week and their effort is tracked using our Goal For Success program. Part of the rapid success for vision therapy is making therapy a priority in the patient’s life.
Dr. Gall is an optometrist who has open care for patients, their NeuroVision and their aspirational visually-fit outcomes. From the beginning, Dr. Gall has tested NeuroVision skills and offered neuro-optics and vision therapy as an option for success. In 1993, Dr. Gall received his Doctorate in Optometry; in 1995, he received his Master of Vision Science in the area of NeuroVision after which he started his practice. In 1999, he received his Fellowship from the American Academy of Optometry (FAAO). In the fall of 2010, he moved his practice to a larger facility and opened the Oakville Centre for Vision – Excellence in NeuroVision with its four centres of excellence. Upon studying for two years, in 2015 Dr. Gall was awarded the Diplomate in Binocular Vision Perception & Pediatric Optometry (Diplomate BVPPO), and in 2018 Dr. Gall earned his Fellowship from the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (FCOVD), which all clearly demonstrates his desire for lifelong learning to provide excellence in NeuroVision and best patient care.
Connect with the Doctor here: patientcare@oakvillecentreforvision.com
Dr. Gall’s Vision Therapist Team, led by Heather Dillon, play a vital role in caring for patients and motivating them to achieve NeuroVision success. Heather has a Bachelor of Arts degree, two designations of certified vision therapist (PVTAP, COVT) and over 10 years of experience with vision therapy. The Vision Therapy Team delivers the Dr. Gall directed program while providing personalized vision therapy.
The philosophy of the Foundations for Learning Centre – the Eye-Brain and Learning Connection, is based on the work of Drs. Mitchell Scheiman and Michael Rouse (Optometric Management of Learning-Related Vision Problems, 2nd Ed. 2006), Drs. Mitchell Scheiman and Bruce Wick (Clinical Management of Binocular Vision, 4th Ed. 2014) and Drs. Sidney Groffman and Harold Solan (Developmental & Perceptual Assessment of Learning-Disabled Children: theoretical concepts and diagnostic testing. 1994) which are guiding references for any practice offering NeuroVision success.
