How Vision And Sight Affect the Autistic Individual by Jeff Becker, OD

Jeffrey Becker, OD is a neurodevelopmental optometrist, certified neurosensory specialist and Defeat Autism Now! practioner. He is the director of vision rehabilitation services at the NeuroSensory Center of Eastern Pennsylvania. This is the second Autism One Conference at which Dr. Becker has presented, and his article "Therapy Can Help Children with Spectrum Dysfunctions" appeared in the October 2009 issue of The Autism File. A graduate of Pennsylvania State University and the Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Becker has been practicing for over 24 years, with a specialty practice in rehabilitative optometry, treating over 3,000 neurologically-impaired, head injury, and stroke patients ranging in ages from birth through senior citizens.

Eighty percent of what is learned is through visual processing. That being said, vision and sight are two different areas that are often overlooked in the evaluation and treatment of ASD patients. This lecture will discuss the differences between sight and vision and how they affect those with ASD. Items to be discussed are eye muscle coordination, eye focusing, eye contact, visual stimming, and vestibular and propreoceptive deficiencies and how they are related in the ASD individual. The participants will learn about specific theories in treatment through the review of individual case studies and active involvement in functional demonstrations. By the end of the lecture, participants will have greater knowledge of how vision and sight affect ASD patients, the importance of comprehensive functional vision evaluations, some of the most successful theories in treatment and recommendations and resources on vision rehabilitation therapy. This lecture is suitable for professionals who treat ASD individuals, such as physicians and occupational, physical, and speech therapists, as well as the families and caregivers of those on the spectrum.