A Complete Diagnosis for ADHD
The American school system, both the public and private sectors, will often attribute a lack of attention during class to an undiagnosed case of ADHD.
But that isn’t always the full answer.
It’s understandable that this is the status quo; the quantity of work expected from our school staff combined with limited access to resources creates an outstanding lack of support. More than 1 in 10 children are now diagnosed with ADHD. And the solutions presented to overcome attention deficit in today’s youth often start and end with a prescription for ADHD medication.
While these prescriptions can be useful for some children, one size definitely does not fit all.
At Brighter Outlook Vision, we want families to feel educated and empowered to make the right decisions for their children when it comes to treatment.
With the help of a developmental optometrist, sometimes also known as a behavioral or neuro-optometrist, parents can often discover underlying issues causing attention problems.
If your child shows signs of a learning or behavioral issue similar to the likeness of ADHD, it could be beneficial to seek out a developmental optometrist (like Dr. Jesse Willingham at his specialty vision practice in Charleston) in your area before committing to a medication regimen.
“ADHD is an incomplete diagnosis, in my opinion, until hidden functional vision problems that cause the exact same symptoms and behaviors are ruled out first,” says Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, a Maryland-based developmental optometrist.
It doesn’t have to be either/or. A functional vision problem doesn’t cause ADHD, dyslexia, or learning disabilities, but it can add another layer of difficulty to reading and learning.
It is important to note that the goal is not to disregard an ADHD diagnosis or to inhibit access to a medication that could help your child.
It is quite possible that their symptoms could point to both a visual processing and an attention deficiency disorder.
Our goal at Brighter Outlook Vision is to give families an all-inclusive perspective into the neuro-visual coordination of your child, and offer solutions to help their visual processing skills if needed so that they can better reach their potential.
Unlike ADHD medication, which is designed to manage symptoms, vision therapy aims to correct the underlying cause of the symptoms.
Students can have a desire to learn and an innate intelligence but still show signs of discomfort and frustration in the classroom. Read the story of Sasha and her mother Margaret show the fulfillment of finding the proper diagnosis – convergence insufficiency in their case – and the journey they took to achieve a solution.
Does the child in the story above remind you of a loved one in your life?
If so, you can find the answers you need without traveling through multiple states. The answers could be in your own backyard! Find a doctor near you.
Read the success story given to us by the mother of a patient at Brighter Outlook Vision’s after they completed their program of office-based vision therapy:
“[Our son] has blossomed in vision therapy! When we began, he tilted his head to read or watch TV. He had to read and re-read passages of text at school. Now he is a voracious reader! We noticed other changes as well – improved focus (and off ADHD meds!), increased engagement at school, and he seems so much more confident! His PE teacher noted an improvement of motor skills (like basketball and running). We are forever grateful!”
If you would like to learn more about vision therapy or the services provided at Brighter Outlook Vision, you can explore our website, check out our social media, or call 843-203-0200 to talk to a staff member.
We want every parent to know more about treatment options so that each child has the potential to get better and be their best self unhindered by vision problems.
