02/08/2024
Check out another great success story from one of our recent vision therapy graduates. This is my favorite part of what we do at AVT:
I cannot say enough good things about the Vision Therapy Program at Advance Vision Therapy.
My daughter has struggled with reading since grade one. She was always a bit behind her target reading level, but not enough to receive learning support. In grade seven, after she broke down in tears over the difficulty of reading, comprehending, and remembering a book for a book report, my husband and I decided to take action. We began looking into getting her tested for a learning disability.
By complete happenstance, I was chatting with another mom about my daughter's reading struggles, and she mentioned her daughter had undergone Vision Therapy in Emerald Park with great success. Her daughter went from hating reading to reading just for fun! Although she warned me it was expensive, she assured me it was worth it.
I booked an assessment with Advance Vision Therapy, and Dr. Bokinac gathered an incredible amount of information through the initial assessment—all of which was consistent with what my daughter was experiencing at school: slower reading, difficulty copying information off the board, and trouble remembering what she had read.
Dr. Bokinac recommended a 40-week program, with the understanding that some individuals finish sooner while others may need extra time. The program was more expensive than anticipated, but we were thankful that my husband's plan covered 50% of the cost.
I wasn't sure what to expect from the weekly sessions, but I knew there would be work to do at home to ensure the program's success. I was pleasantly surprised by several things:
The staff at Advanced Eye Care are incredibly friendly and always smiling.
The ladies running the weekly sessions (Ashley & Kristina) were absolutely lovely, very welcoming, and created a comfortable and safe space for my daughter.
The exercises were challenging but not too difficult.
There was plenty of variety in the exercises—they were not just about reading. Many exercises also worked on balance, hand-eye coordination, memory, rhythm, visualization, and light therapy.
Many of the exercises applied to real-life tasks like tracing, remembering sequences, catching a ball and seeing things near and far.
Approximately 20 weeks into the program, my daughter told me she could see street signs on the side of the road that she had never noticed before. I had no idea she couldn't see them. She also mentioned she could see me sitting beside her in the vehicle while looking straight ahead, something she couldn't do before. Her peripheral vision had expanded significantly, something we hadn't realized was narrow before. This was our first 'aha' moment and I knew we made the right decision to enroll in the program.
Slowly but surely, tasks have become easier for her—copying down notes from the board, reading more fluidly (stopping at periods), and remembering what she reads. The words on the pages have become clearer, and her speed has increased. Previously, she had a hard time visualizing pictures in her head from what she was reading. Now, she can create mental images to help her remember. Her confidence in her academic work has drastically improved. When given a book for her second-term book report, there were no tears.
Did this come easy? No. She put in the time and did the work. Of course, there were days she didn’t want to do her homework, but she persevered and completed the program in 28 weeks. We will continue the tasks at home and do the 1, 3, and 6-month follow-up testing to ensure there is no regression.
I am very thankful for this program and what it has done for my daughter. I know the price can be overwhelming, but it has been a solid investment in her education, and I couldn’t be more impressed.
SL
