The following is a true account about my daughter, Katie. From reading her story, you will learn how easy it is to mislabel a child.
It is hard to imagine the pain and sorrow a parent deals with, when their child can never seem to be at the top of the class. We are quick to blame the teacher or the school system in general. I know how it feels, since I am one of those parents. Fortunately, I have found the answer for my child and it took nine long years to discover it. The cure actually came from listening to what my child said and believing in what she told me.
As an educator, I knew that vision plays an important role in what students learn. In fact, according to research seventy percent of what we learn is by what we see. Therefore, when Katie was in kindergarten and had difficulty learning the letters of the alphabet, I assumed she had a vision problem. As a concerned parent, I had the school nurse screen Katie's eyesight by using the Snellen Eye Chart. I did not know at the time that the Snellen Eye was not a reliable tool in which to test for any problems relating to sight. After all, it was designed back in the late 1800's. I discovered Katie had 20/20 vision, according to the use of the Snellen Eye Chart. Since Katie lived in a print rich environment, I could not understand her problem with learning her letters and remembering their sounds.
Katie was promoted to first grade and continued to experience problems. She received intervention services from a reading teacher, but continued to be a slow learner. Once again, she was checked with the Snellen Eye Chart and the nurse proudly told me that Katie had 20/20 vision. I spoke with Katie about what she saw in class and she informed me something was blocking her vision. I misunderstood her and thought she was referring to someone sitting in front of her. I asked her teacher to move her closer to the board. When it was determined Katie was failing, I took her to an ophthalmologist. From having this examination, I learned Katie was slightly myopic. Perhaps, her problem was associated with her being immature, since she sometimes wrote backwards on her paper. I suspected Katie might have dyslexia, but I was hoping she was developmentally-delayed and the problem would lessen by her repeating first grade.
When Katie repeated first grade, she showed significant improvement. She was finally on grade level and was promoted as an average student. Shockingly, when she entered second grade, she quickly went back one basal level. Katie was once again, not on grade level. The course of her elementary years would stay the same. She would never be on grade level. It did not seem to matter that she participated in the after school reading programs and attended summer school sessions. Surprisingly, she did not show these same difficulties at home in her reading. She was sluggish in her reading, but could comprehend grade level material quite well. The only problems that I witnessed, was her inability at spelling and writing. She could spell better orally than writing it on paper. Her writing was large and misaligned.
Eventually, I gave in to accepting Katie might have dyslexia. I had her tested for vision difficulties and she began vision therapy. Katie went weekly for a period of six months. During the weekdays, I worked with Katie doing at-home exercises I was asked to do by the vision therapist. I did not see any improvement. These exercises were too easy for her and provided no change in her condition.
Upon receiving consultation, I was told her eyes were not working together. Katie was given a pair of bifocals, since it was determined she was nearsighted and had a reading deficit caused by tracking problems. Eventually, I gave up on the vision therapy, when I witnessed no difference in Katie's ability at writing. One day I saw her balling up one sheet of paper at a time, because she could not see the blue lines on her notebook paper. She began to cry and simply gave up. I wanted to give up, too!
It was back to the drawing board! I took Katie to an ophthalmologist and had her eyes rechecked. It was late in the afternoon and the pressure in Katie's eyes was slightly elevated. We were called back four more times, always in the afternoon, before a diagnosis was determined. Katie was placed on a machine that took pictures of the back of her eye. A week later, I received an astonishing phone call. Katie had juvenile glaucoma!
I went for a second opinion. The testing was done in the morning and her eye pressure was normal. Both doctors collaborated and disagreed with their diagnosis. I went with the first doctor, since he was very thorough. However, he was not a recommended doctor for pediatric care, as the second doctor had been. I simply went with my gut feeling. I thought that all of Katie's problems had been answered with the use of eye medication and Katie would no longer have difficulties with her reading.
One day I was working with Katie in my classroom on a math problem. It was written on my chalkboard. I asked Katie to copy the problem down and solve it. She told me that she could not see at that time, because something was blocking her vision. There was nothing in front of her and I could not understand what she meant. She explained that a white haze was covering the chalkboard and she had to wait for it to move away.
I made arrangements to see her ophthalmologist about this visual problem Katie was apparently having. I was told that her glaucoma would not cause this problem and perhaps she was psychosomatic.
Katie was eventually tested by a neuropsychologist and it was determined that she was not psychosomatic, but dyslexic. Perhaps, it was premonition or fate, since I had recently read about scotopic sensitivity off the Internet and had copies of information about this disorder. Scotopic sensitivity is how the optic nerve filters light to the brain. Perhaps, since she had glaucoma and this eye disease damages the optic nerve, maybe Katie had trouble filtering light. The treatment would be a pair of colored lenses. The psychologist told me to try it out and if it worked, the results of Katie's test would be insignificant.
Luckily, I knew a master optician, who made tinted lenses. This professional allowed Katie to experiment with looking through various shades of color. His patience with her was crucial in aiding Katie to make the proper choice. Katie chose a pair of lilac-tinted lenses. When Katie first wore those glasses, the first words she spoke after placing them on her face was, "Gee, Mom, so that's what you look like!" I never knew my daughter could not see my face. She saw nothing but distortion. I was surprised her glasses did not work for television viewing, since she always sits in front of the screen.
Katie made great strides, during her fifth-grade year wearing her special glasses. She was placed on a 504 Plan, since she did not qualify for special education. Her ophthalmologist did write a letter requesting her work be given in bold contrast print. When her worksheets were presented in this fashion, she did much better in her reading. Yet, she still suffered in writing and spelling.
When Katie entered middle school, she seemed to have more problems. Although, she had a 504 Plan, it was not enough. Her teachers were confused as to why' she sometimes had problems seeing printed materials in the room and at other times, she could see just fine. Katie complained about not being able to see print displayed from an overhead, what was written on the chalkboard when white chalk was used and not being able to see what was written on plastic-coated visual aids. I had seen her effectively read text using small font and then stumbling over the same print an hour later. Her ophthalmologist could not offer any explanation. I was told her glaucoma would not cause this problem. I asked to see a neuro-ophthalmologist. There had to be answers to why' Katie was experiencing these problems.
In the middle of her seventh grade year, I finally learned Katie's problem. The neuro-ophthalmologist had several tests done to determine any weaknesses Katie may have developed from her glaucoma. Her optic nerve was not damaged. Therefore, the scotopic sensitivity issue became non-existent. What Katie had was photophobia. She had trouble with indoor lighting.
Photophobia is a condition caused by the aqueous humour in the eye. The aqueous humour is a fluid at the front of the eye, which helps to maintain the shape of the eye. Light passes through this fluid on its way to the retina. The shape of the eye can determine eye fatigue, such as handling glare from a computer or dealing with outdoor activities. It is interesting that optical eyewear comes in different colored lenses and shades to assist with this problem. There is more information about using these products for sports enthusiasts. For example, the color of amber is effective for improving depth perception and contrast for skiing and driving. The color of green provides a fair amount of contrast in low light conditions and reduces eyestrain. There are more than these two colors for providing benefits for the sports enthusiasts. Yet, for a student suffering with indoor glare, not much is really published. A student would need to be classified as a visually impaired child to receive state-regulated services associated with photophobia.
As a classroom teacher with close to thirty years of experience, I know some students must handle glare in the classroom on a daily basis. Their problem may not be as pronounced as Katie's, but can contribute to their lack of academic success in the classroom. I had made a few adjustments in my classroom when I have listened to my students. It is important to ask the right questions, such as, "what do you see when you are reading?" "Are the letters staying in the same place or are they playing tricks on you?" "What do you see when you look at the chalkboard?" "Does white chalk fade into the board?" "Can you see what is written on the chalkboard?" There are always some students having a problem. Sometimes, it is a simple visual acuity problem, while other times it is to do with glare. When the right questions are asked, students do respond immediately and will let you know what visual problems they are having.
When Katie became a junior in high school, she begged for a pair of contact lenses. I agreed to purchase them as long as she wore a pair of tinted shades. After attending school for a couple of weeks, Katie stated she did not need to use her tinted shades. She no longer experienced any problems with indoor lighting. Perhaps, it was the contact lenses. Since the lenses fitted directly on the eye, maybe this prevented light from being distorted. I really did not know, except that Katie began reading books for personal enjoyment, than just for required reading. She began writing in a journal and became more interested in writing stories and poems.
It has saddened me that a pair of contact lenses might have helped her years ago. However, Katie is fortunate to discover her problem and begin making strides in her learning. Along with having a 504 Plan, she is making progress.
Bio: Sahron Ollie is a literacy specialist, children's advocate, freelance writer and the author of Not Once Not Twice But Three Times: Being an Advocate for Children's Hidden Disabilities and 504 Plans. Her website is:
http://www.geocities.com/sahronollie/504Plan.html
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