Read more about the article Handwriting for better learning and memory

Handwriting for better learning and memory

It’s not just what we write that matters, but how. Children read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, and they are also better able to better generate ideas and retain information.

Printing, cursive writing, and typing on a keyboard were compared in a study of children in grades 2-5. When the children wrote text by hand, they consistently produced more words more quickly, and also expressed more ideas, when compared with the children who wrote on a keyboard. The children with better handwriting showed greater neural activation in areas associated with working memory when they were asked to think of ideas for a composition, as well as a greater overall activation in reading and writing networks.

Physically forming letters when writing is important for learning and memory!

Click here to read more in the NY Times

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Read more about the article Vision Therapy Graduates

Vision Therapy Graduates

Sending out a big CONGRATULATIONS to all our VT graduates over the last few months! All of your hard work and determination has paid off!
We are going to try to remember to update our blog a little more 🙂 Here’s a little bit about our two most recent graduates:

J came to us when his teacher noticed him skipping words when he was reading. His school performance was very good, but he often lost his place, got headaches, and felt tired after only 15 mins of reading. He was diagnosed with a tracking deficit, and started vision therapy. After about 2.5 months of weekly sessions, his mom noticed his reading is a lot more fluent, he no longer skips words, and he doesn’t get headaches or feel as tired when reading! Great job, J!

S came to the office with very bad visual symptoms after a concussion. He got headaches after 5-10 mins of reading, and couldn’t look at screens. He also felt like he couldn’t focus or concentrate. He felt dizzy when looking around. He needed to get reading glasses, and started vision therapy for his focusing skills. He can now read for about 1.5 hrs without symptoms (without his glasses!), and he can finally start slowly returning to work! We are happy for you, S!

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Eye Exams For Kids

I have seen many kids who need glasses but the parents had no idea. They don’t tell you, because they don’t know what things are supposed to look like! That’s why it’s important to have a comprehensive eye exam because an optometrist can measure how light focuses in their eyes, even if they can’t read the letters.
All kids under the age of 20 are covered for one yearly exam under OHIP. Through the Eye See Eye Learn program, children in JK can receive a complimentary pair of glasses donated by Nikon and OGI.
Get your child’s eye tested and make sure they are well equipped for learning

Call (905) 666-4848 to book an appointment today!

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Gift Ideas for Vision Development

Looking for some great gift ideas for any child? Here’s a list of some fun toys/games which also promote vision development!

Building Toys – Develop eye-hand coordination and visualization/imagination
-Mega Bloks
-K’NEX
-Building Blocks
-Legos/Duplos

Fine Motor Skill Toys – Develop visual-motor integration and fine motor skills
-Origami Sets
-Rainbow Loom
-Lite-Brite
-Pegboard and Pegs

Space Perception Toys – Develop depth perception and eye-hand coordination
-Ants in the Pants
-Fishin’ Around
-Operation
-Pick-up Sticks
-KerPlunk
-Jenga

Visual Thinking Toys and Games – Develop visual perceptual skills including: visualization, visual memory, visual discrimination, pattern recognition and sequencing. These skills are important for academics including mathematics, reading and spelling.
-Color Blocks and 1” Cubes
-Bejeweled Board Game
-Tetris Bop It
-Parquetry Blocks
-Perplexus
-Qwirkle
-Card Games (Old Maid, Go Fish, etc.)
-Dominoes
-Qbitz

Head on over to The Vision Therapy Center for the full list! (96 gift ideas)

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Read more about the article School Vision Screenings Are Not Enough

School Vision Screenings Are Not Enough

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Your child may have gotten a vision “screening” at school this year, but it’s not enough! Dr. Mini Randhawa explains why.

Even if your child has 20/20 vision and passes the screening, they still need to have a full eye exam. The Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends infants have their first eye examination between six and nine months of age, and annually during school years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=99&v=p6vPhFixBks

Continue ReadingSchool Vision Screenings Are Not Enough