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By Dr Charles A. Boulet
A mother (call her Kay) came in to see me regarding her son Matt and his academic troubles. Matt is almost 8 years old, in Grade 3, and has already become familiar with the insides of 4 different schools. Kay was referred to me by Matt's pediatrician who wanted to know if there was a visual component to the child's trouble in school. I was of course more than happy to see Matt - research shows that about 90% of children with reading delays have some sort of visual developmental delay in motor skills, perceptual skills and frequently both......
We started with a history. Matt's health checked out ok, with one major exception to be mentioned later. He started to show signs of trouble in Kindergarten - rare for most kids with reading trouble. Matt was also having trouble with the other children in class - he was new to town and had few friends from the outset, his parents had also divorced and while he gets to see his dad periodically, he very much missed his presence. Kay is now remarried and things are going well at home. While concerned, she followed the school's advice and took a wait-and-see approach. She felt that given everything Matt was dealing with at home (divorce/move), things would smooth out over time.
Into Grade 1, Matt was clearly not getting along any easier at school. Falling behind in class, he felt apart from the crowd, was ostracized and judged by his peers. He began to act out, choosing to push back than to take teasing and abuse. He could not understand why people were turning on him. His teacher would soon lose patience with his frustrated outbursts and aggression towards others.
Things worsened through to the end of Grade 1 when Kay decided she would appeal to the school for help. With no formal assessment in hand, the Principal informed her that Matt's problem was psychological, possibly with attention problems (that is, ADD), and that he had violent tendencies that frankly were not appreciated at the school. The school could offer her nothing but an ongoing litany of complaints and exasperated phone calls regarding Matt and advice that she should seek help elsewhere. Kay continued to petition the school but also began to feel ignored and unwanted.
Into Grade Two, Matt was more combative. The cycle of reaction and push-back from peers, teachers and staff made it increasingly more uncomfortable for Matt as the weeks and months progressed. To be sure, Matt is a very intelligent and caring child who is likely ahead of his peers in some regards - he seems very astute and direct, serious but respectful, with a longing to just have some fun. He really doesn't care for school and likes to be at home. While he has shown that he can do well at school, he has had trouble with reading and this slows him down compared to his peers. He knows this and it's bothersome. Matt is also young in his class and must work against this in the emerging social dynamics of the classroom and playground. With no regard to any possible hidden impediments to learning, Matt already has a number of reasons to feel isolated and resentful of school and to fall behind. With two months left in the year, Kay was finally too worried and too tired of fighting and moved Matt into another school. It was then determined that Matt would attend still a different school for Grade 3.
Education history completed, it was time to look at medical issues that might be influencing Matt's reading and learning. Of prime concern is that Matt, at not quite yet 8 years of age, is depressed has been prescribed antidepressants. He doesn't feel he could ever be happy. Kay, as you might expect, is beside herself with worry and guilt.
Next was the initial general eye exam, followed by more detailed testing of Matt's visual skills. I expect to find some sort of visual control problem and mild or moderate glasses prescription present in children with reading and learning trouble, but I didn't expect what I found with Matt.
To be continued…...
Dr. Boulet is an optometrist and owner-operator of Diamond Valley Vision Care in Black Diamond (403-933-5552 or info@dvvc.ca.) He is also a former high school teacher and continues to work with children who have trouble learning.
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