Read the official OCVT press release on this event here.
This April marks National Autism Awareness Month for the Autism Society and the Optometry Center for Vision Therapy (OCVT). April kicks off with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd, which puts a spotlight on the challenges people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face daily. At OCVT, we’re acknowledging Autism Awareness Day with a presentation at 9:00AM on Saturday, April 28th at our San Antonio office titled The Vision and Learning Connection: Helping Children with Autism. This discussion is open to the public and led by OCVT founder and Executive Director, Dr. Briana Larson. You can RSVP by emailing Jordan.wilson@ocvt.info.
The Autism Society started Autism Awareness month over two decades ago to promote inclusion and acceptance of people with autism. At OCVT, the board-certified doctors and vision therapists work with patients with ASD daily to assist them with their vision problems. Together with the Autism Society, OCVT wants to help raise awareness of the challenges with which patients with autism struggle and how vision therapy can help them.
Vision Therapy and Autism
The Optometry Center for Vision Therapy regularly treats patients with autism spectrum disorder. While only 25% of the general population has a visual learning dysfunction, 80% of those with ASD have issues with their vision. Vision therapy benefits individuals with autism by improving eye contact and gaze, posture and balance, and visual-spatial abilities.
Vision therapy can’t cure autism spectrum disorder, but it can remediate related visual issues to improve eye-contact, posture, attention and focus, learning potential, eye-hand coordination, etc. With the help of developmental optometrists and vision therapists, patients with autism can make significant progress with their visual disorders.
OCVT and Autism Spectrum Disorder
At the Optometry Center for Vision Therapy, we have developed tools and training to treat patients with autism. Our treatment plans for autism spectrum disorder may include prisms to restructure vision, specialized lenses, and vision therapy programs that improve eye tracking, coordination, visual attention, and other skills. We offer a free consultation for new patients, as well as a developmental screen for infants to look for early visual signs of autism. Our team is ready to treat patients of all ages, helping them make improvements in their everyday lives.
Visit us for our Autism Awareness Month presentation and schedule a consultation for vision therapy with our office to start the evaluation process.