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| Preschool Vision Alert!
Four-year-old Tiffany is an eager, attentive child who, until recently, participated fully in all classroom activities. Tiffany's teachers lately have noticed some inconsistencies in her behavior, though. In some situations, particularly during storytime, she becomes restless and disruptive. But, when moved to the front of the group, Tiffany is significantly more attentive. What might account for the differences observed in Tiffany's behavior? Consider the possibility of a visual problem. Vision appears to be the dominant modality for learning about the environment. The visual mode is responsible for 80 to 90% of all learning. Vision not only supplies information about the environment, activities, and potential dangers around us, but it also allows the interpretation of information received from the other senses (Schuster & Ashburn 1992). It is imperative to detect visual problems during the preschool period (ages 3-5). Early detection is essential for effective treatment of a large number of conditions that result in poor vision. The preschool child who will soon enter the school system ought not be burdened with poor visual acuity, which can interfere with learning and be a serious handicap. Teachers need to be aware of the types of visual impairments to watch for when interacting with the preschool child (see the chart on next page). If a visual problem is suspected, preschool teachers, caregivers, and parents, as well, should become aware of available community resources, such as a pediatric ophthalmologist or the local associations/societies for the blind or blindness prevention. Under the law in many states, annual vision testing is conducted in the elementary schools. In a number of states, no such screening exists, however, for the 3- to 5-year-old child. A cooperative team approach on the part of teachers and parents is essential to the early detection and treatment of preschool vision problems. When Gwen was 10, her teacher reported that she always insisted on sitting virtually up against the chalkboard and that she squinted. No teacher had ever mentioned this to Gwen's mother before, and Gwen had learned to read early and easily. The eye doctor discovered that this child was seriously nearsighted-not farsighted-so reading was never a problem. When Gwen walked out of the eyeglass store wearing her fine new glasses, she stopped and said in astonishment to her mother, "I can see the leaves on the trees from here!" "Yes?" replied her mother. "If you couldn't see them before you had glasses, why didn't you tell me so I would've known something was wrong?" Gwen responded sensibly, "I didn't know anyone could see them." References Schuster, C., Ashburn, S. (1992). The process of human development: A holistic life-span approach. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott. Wong, D. (1995). Nursing care of children. St. Louis: Mosby. - by Diane F. Colizza, R.N.C., M.N. and Alice M. Keller, R.N., M.Ed., Young Children, March 1996, p. 80-81. Printed with permission. For more information contact:
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