A Guide to Dyslexia & Vision Processing Disorders
Did you know that 80% of children with a diagnosed learning disability are estimated to have an undiagnosed vision problem?!
Many of our students struggle in the classroom with one thing or another, but sometimes it is difficult for parents and teachers to identify the cause of the problem. This is frustrating for everyone, and students often do not get diagnosed or are misdiagnosed.
Students who struggle with things like reading the board, writing simple sentences, reading aloud, and putting words or letters in the correct order could have a vision problem that you (and their parents) are unaware of. Your students could also have dyslexia.
In fact, many students’ eye problems can be misdiagnosed as dyslexia when in fact, they have a vision processing disorder - or vice versa.
Dyslexia and vision processing disorders are different issues and need to be treated as such. Today, I wanted to take a quick look at dyslexia and VPDs to help you gain a fuller understanding of what they are, how they are different, and how you can help your students.
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a condition that makes it difficult for someone to break down spoken language into its correct parts. A student with dyslexia will struggle to connect letters to sounds. They will also have difficulty with spelling, writing, pronunciation, word recognition, and decoding.
Students with dyslexia will have a difficult time learning to read and write. It is also possible that they will develop their speech a bit later than usual.
What is Vision Processing Disorder?
VPDs are a disorder that pertains to how the brain processes and interprets any and all visual information. Students with a VPD will struggle to understand visual information of any kind, not just letters that form words.
A VPD can affect all learning, including reading, spelling, and math. It also affects activities that require hand-eye coordination and depth perception.
VPDs have nothing to do with how well a student can see; they are all about how the brain processes what they see. Students can have perfect eyesight and still have a VPD.
How Can I Tell If A Student Has Dyslexia Or A VPD?
Is my student unwilling to read, or unable to?
Are they struggling with motivation to do the task, or are they having real difficulty with it?
How can I help a student if I think something is off?
These are questions that every teacher has asked themselves.
First, if you think your student is struggling with their vision, say something to the parent. Some students need a simple prescription to improve their eyesight. If it is more than that, parents can continue to research and help their students as needed.
However, many parents do not realize that a vision screening will not identify many vision problems. Dyslexia and vision processing disorders are not identified by optometrists or even opthamologists - people often need to be tested by a vision specialist/therapist.
Secondly, talk with your school’s guidance counselor. Students you suspect have an underlying learning issue should be screened. (Many states will not identify vision processing disorders.)
Signs of Dyslexia
If a student has completed a vision screening for glasses but you still see them struggling with reading and other issues, consider these signs of dyslexia.
Reading/Writing
Reading well below their age level
Difficulty spelling
Spending much longer completing tasks that involve reading or writing
Consistently avoiding activities that involve reading or writing
Processing/Understanding
Problems processing and understanding what they hear
Problems finding the right word or forming answers
Difficulty remembering the order of things
Problems seeing and hearing similarities and differences in letters and words
Inability to sound out the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word
All of the above symptoms are things to look for in your students. A few of them paired together could be circumstantial, but you should always be aware of the habits your students have so you can figure out the why behind them.
Signs Of A Vision Processing Issue
If a student has passed a vision screening for glasses but still seems to struggle with reading and other issues, consider these signs of a vision processing issue:
Eye Movement Issues
Moves head when reads
Reads very slowly
Uses finger to keep place
Skips or repeats words/lines
Eye Focusing Issues
Holds reading materials close to their face
Has difficulty copying
Gets headaches
Memory Issues
Struggles to remember shapes, symbols, or objects
Difficulty with remembering the order of days or months
Eye Teaming Issues
Poor reading comprehension and writing skills compared to verbal abilities
Perceptual Problems
Knowing left from right
Letter & word reversals
Poor spatial awareness
All of the above symptoms are things to look for in your students. A few of them paired together could be circumstantial, but you should always be aware of the habits your students have so you can figure out the why behind them.
Dyslexia and VPD Tips For Teachers
What can you do to help your students who are (or could be) struggling with dyslexia and/or VPDs? How can you make your classroom easier for them?
Although dyslexia and vision processing disorders are different, many accommodations may help with both issues.
Here are a few ideas for you:
Use Technology
Some students find it much easier to touch-type instead of writing. Now, you probably don’t want your entire class to touch-type during handwriting but if you have a few students who need extra support, this is a great solution.
Provide Simple Tools
Students with dyslexia or VPDs can struggle with staying on a line while reading or grouping numbers. Provide them with tools like graph paper to line up numbers or a ruler or notecard to help them track words while reading.
Use Simpler Fonts
Deciding on a unicase or frilly font looks fun but can actually be really tricky for your students to read. Instead, increase the font size and the line spacing to give your students an easier read.
Leave A Lot of White Space
Having pages of work that are full of graphics and pictures look more engaging, but a visually cluttered page is a tricky thing for students with dyslexia or VPDs. When creating work and PowerPoints, have a clear path for the readers’ eyes to follow.
Chunk Work
Breaking up work and reading into manageable chunks makes it much easier for students to accomplish. Just make sure your chunks have an obvious structure to them (you don’t want students getting confused).
Teach Close Reading
Scanning pages is difficult, so close reading and good note-taking strategies can help improve your student’s reading comprehension.
Provide Help For Copying
Giving students a ton of work to copy is overwhelming for students who have dyslexia or VPDs. Instead, give notes in a handout or in scaffolded notes. Or arrange for a student to be a copy buddy!
What Else Can I Do?
One thing that every student wants to hear is that you support them! Make sure your students know that you are on their side.
Students can feel embarrassed or angry with themselves when they struggle with things that other students don’t - especially when they don’t realize there is an underlying problem. (Remember, students don’t know that other students aren’t seeing things the same way - which makes it difficult to realize there is a problem.) Students often start to feel stupid and their self-esteem plummets.
Dyslexia and VPD can be difficult for students, but they are manageable and can improve when discovered and supported.
Do you have questions about dyslexia and VPD? Email me!