AD(H)D
Vision, Learning and AD(H)D
It is estimated that 3%-7% of school age children have ADHD, or about 4 million American children. Boys outnumber girls 3 to 1 and are more often diagnosed with ADHD. Once thought that symptoms fade with the onset of adulthood, it is now estimated that 1/3 to 2/3 of all ADHD children become ADHD adults.The only problem is 15 out of the 18 symptoms used to diagnose AD(H)D in the (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual, Version IV) are also symptoms of vision related learning problems.Children with vision related learning problems often have 20/20 eyesight, but have difficulties with other key visual skills. Their visual systems cannot tolerate the demands within the classroom for very long, so avoidance behaviors are common.
General habits that may be observed in children with vision problems, but can also be AD(H)D symptoms include:
- Careless mistakes in homework and class work
- Poor ability to sustain attention and stay on task
- Poor listening skills
- Difficulty following directions
- Loses and misplaces things often
- Talks excessively and interrupts others
- Fidgety
- Difficult time organizing, prioritizing work and activities
- Shifts from one activity to another
- Difficulty playing quietly
Similarly, a study by Southern California College of Optometry reported that symptomatic school-age children with accommodative dysfunction or convergence insufficiency problems have a higher frequency of behaviors associated with ADHD.
The prevalence of Convergence Insufficiency is 17.6% of school-aged children.
Convergence Insufficiency can be detected with a simple 10 second vision screening test called Near Point of Convergence.
Many children truly do suffer from ADD and ADHD, but certain visual and learning problems mirror the same symptoms and are often misdiagnosed.
