Before I had even heard of Vision Therapy, I had heard of and experienced disability in my day-to-day life. Most of us probably have, whether we realize it or not. It may be very brief – noticing someone who needs to use the Handicap Parking Space or the Automatic Door Button. Chances are your kiddos have seen it at school or in extracurriculars – a student with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities who may have adaptive help, or a student with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who stims in class. Stimming is a repetitive self-soothing movement or behavior – it can often look like hand flapping, spinning, repeating a word or phrase, etc.
Joni and Friends Family Retreats provided me with the opportunity for an immersive experience with disability. Family Retreats helped to connect real people with the potentially intimidating diagnosis words – Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Down Syndrome, Deaf+, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and so many more.
Each of the diagnoses I just listed bring up very specific memories of individuals and their vastly different personalities, likes and dislikes, and methods of communication. This experience helped to provide a strong foundation for me as a vision therapist. A common phrase among Disability Ministry training is “If you have met one person with Autism, (or Down Syndrome, or any other disability) you have met exactly one person with Autism.”
This phrase helped to cement the idea that each person is unique; has unique interests and giftings, and unique challenges. It is commonly accepted that individuals learn best with motivation, interest, and novelty. Getting to know a patient’s areas of interest has helped me as a therapist structure therapy sessions and activities that will be meaningful for the patient. A patient who knows more than I ever will about the game Plants vs. Zombies got to call pictures from a Plants vs. Zombies Hart Chart. A patient who loves Platypus facts got to work on Laterality and Directionality with a Platypus Image.
Another common phrase is “All behavior is communication”. Paying attention to nonverbal cues, looking for muscle stiffness, postural shifts, changes in breathing, watching for stims, etc. helps me to know when a patient is experiencing discomfort and may need to take a break or reset to continue to be successful.
Applying these philosophies to patient care has helped me to be a better, more confident therapist.
Bekah Pritchett
Vision Therapist – InSight Vision Therapy