Teacher Referrals
Referrals from Teachers or Schools
Helping teachers identify vision problems that may affect a child’s learning.
Teacher Referrals
Dr. Neufeld welcomes referrals from teachers. A Calgary Vision Therapy Referral Form for Teachers is provided for your convenience. Teachers are often one of the most valuable individuals to help a child discover that they may have a vision problem which is contributing to their difficulty to learn or difficulty learning to read. Teachers have the advantage that they see many children in the learning environment and many times the teacher will perceive that something is not quite right.
Common Observations Teachers May Notice
You may make observations such as the child having extreme difficulty keeping their place when reading, headaches while doing work within arms reach, avoiding visual tasks, short visual attention span, or difficulty copying from the board.
If the student is struggling academically or acting out inappropriately in the classroom, teachers can alert parents that a potential vision problem should be ruled out.
How can I spot a child with vision problems?
Download the Teacher’s Checklist of Vision Problems and have your student take the Vision Symptom Checklist.
What about the student on an IPP program and already diagnosed with a Learning Difficulty?
Vision problems were found in 67% of Canadian children (ages 6 – 12 years old) who were in an IPP program. There are different components of eye exam testing that can be performed but are not routinely included in many examinations. There is a high likelihood that a child who has already been diagnosed with a learning difficulty may actually have a visual perceptual or eye tracking dysfunction creating a roadblock in learning. Many developmental vision dysfunctions can be remediated through proper vision therapy, allowing educators to better implement their teaching strategies.