If your child is having trouble focusing in school, don’t assume that Ritalin will be the right fix. Eyes, ears and teeth should be checked out for any problems before medicine is brought into the picture.
Some parents have been happy with the progress their kids have made in school after doing eye exercises with a vision therapist.
Even though younger kids usually don’t complain about their eyes, parents need to know the symptoms of vision problems, even when the child has 20/20 vision. According to The American Optometry Association, parents should be concerned if their child frequently:
- Uses his finger to keep his place when reading or loses his place while reading
- Tends to avoid close work
- Keeps reading material closer than normal
- Tends to rub his eyes and gets headaches
- Makes reversals when writing or reading
- Has problems with hand-eye-body coordination when they throw a ball or ride a bike
Some children can’t keep their reading material in focus and their eyes get tired easily, so they frequently look up from what they are reading. Unfortunately, problems like this usually cause these children to be underachievers.
Children should get comprehensive eye exams, beginning at 6 months, 3 years and again when a child starts school, according to the eye association. Simple vision screenings often miss some of these problems.Â
Likewise, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association claims that some kids may pass a simple hearing screening but still have a hearing loss that comes and goes or gets worse.
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