Since my son started school he's had some difficulty adjusting but nothing significant. His kindergarten teacher said he was "still immature for his age and seems very chilled but should grow out of it"

He had difficulty with things like tying his shoe laces, he walked into things sometimes and didn't always seem to pay attention to his surroundings.  But nothing that would signal an issue.

In Grade 1 we took him to a clinic for ADHD testing because he was showing inattention in school, was having difficulty with recalling things he learned and wasn't at the same level academically as some of his peers but not too far off either, again not a significant issue.

He managed well, had a great vocabulary, and is overall adaptable and social.  He was also in French immersion at the time so we thought that was the reason for the delay.  We switch him to the English program.

Grade 2 happened and while he could memorize an entire book and you'd be convinced he was reading it, if the words appeared out of context or in another book that he hadn't seen before he wouldn't know what the word was. This was a concern.  We didn't understand why this was happening. Was it dyslexia, a learning disorder?   At this time we had done a ton of tests and assessments. Nothing ever came back as an issue.  

And then just to rule it out. We did a Vision Therapy Assessment and what we found out changed everything.  While I'm not yet ready to share all aspects of it - It's quite emotional sometimes and I'll share as I go, after three months of therapy we are seeing HUGE improvements in all the various academic issues but most importantly in his brain eye connection.

I've highlighted some of my Facebook posts about the journey below.

October 1st.  We got the news about his neuro-vision challenges, which was a surprise because we have been going for regular eye checks for both kids since they were 3 years old. 

October 15.  Oculomotor dysfunction and why it's near impossible to perform well in school if you have it.  It is recommended that ALL school age children get an in dept vision screening for this.

November: His first A+ on a test EVER but most importantly after 5 weeks of therapy we see a huge difference. 

January : After three months of therapy we can see the difference in his eyes. I share for the first time what the before was. I'm beyond thrilled that his eyes are communicating well with his brain and his follow up evaluation I'm laughing and bawling because I'm so happy we found the solution to his difficulties. 

It's difficult to share something so personal but if there is anyone else out there who might have a child who is struggling in school, they might be in the 25% of kids in the classroom affected by a neuro-vision deficit. 

AND even if your child is doing well in school it is still recommend to get their eyes tested because vision is so much more than sight and you want to make sure both eyes are healthy.   For kids in JK there is a program through the government where the test and accompanying glasses if needed would be at no cost to parents. It's called Eye See I Learn.

If you are in the GTA and want to get a vision therapy assessment, check out Minds Eye Neuro-visual Optometry