Symptoms of Little Known Vision Problem Can Mimic Autism and ADD

This article was forwarded to me by my daughter’s Special Ed teacher and I thought it might be of interest. If you are a parent who is in the midst of testing with your child for developmental concerns, this is a possibility that is worth exploration. It seems many children with this condition are mistakenly diagnosed with other disorders, as many health care providers are unaware of convergence insufficiency. My daughter had a similar issue with her vision, which affected her gross and fine motor skills development for a period of time. Vision therapy has resulted in a 99% resolution of the problem; her vision is perfect most of the time now, and the improvement has made incredible progress in other areas possible. I have included a portion of this article below, but it is well worth reading in its entirety…just follow the link.

Not Autistic or Hyperactive. Just Seeing Double at Times

As an infant, Raea Gragg was withdrawn and could not make eye contact. By preschool she needed to smell and squeeze every object she saw.

“She touched faces and would bring everything to mouth,” said her mother, Kara Gragg, of Lafayette, Calif. “She would go up to people, sniff them and touch their cheeks.”

Specialists conducted a battery of tests. The possible diagnoses mounted: autism spectrum disorder, neurofibromatosis, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorder.

A behavioral pediatrician prescribed three drugs for attention deficit and depression. The only constant was that Raea, now 9, did anything she could to avoid reading and writing.

Though she had already had two eye exams, finding her vision was 20/20, this year a school reading specialist suggested another. And this time the ophthalmologist did what no one else had: he put his finger on Raea’s nose and moved it in and out. Her eyes jumped all over the place.

Within minutes he had the diagnosis: convergence insufficiency, in which the patient sees double because the eyes cannot work together at close range.

Experts estimate that 5 percent of school-age children have convergence insufficiency. They can suffer headaches, dizziness and nausea, which can lead to irritability, low self-esteem and inability to concentrate.

Doctors and teachers often attribute the behavior to attention disorders or seek other medical explanations. Mrs. Gragg said her pediatrician had never heard of convergence insufficiency.

Dr. David Granet, a professor of ophthalmology and pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, said: “Everyone is familiar with A.D.H.D. and A.D.D., but not with eye problems, especially not with convergence insufficiency. But we don’t want to send kids for remedial reading and education efforts if they have an eye problem. This should be part of the protocol for eye doctors.”