VT Works

At 6am this past Friday morning, our entire staff met in the front yard of our doctor’s house to begin a long journey – 5 1/2 hours by car, in fact – down to McAllen, Texas.  McAllen is a small city in the Southern tip of Texas within the Rio Grande Valley, whose southern city… Read more

It is not uncommon for patients entering Vision Therapy to have challenges with self esteem. School is tough, homework time is a war zone, and compared to their siblings and classmates, they’re just not keeping up. Frustration and anger lurk just below the surface, and are poised to erupt at the first sign of trouble.… Read more

Parenthood has taught me many lessons, and I am not too proud to admit that some of them have been neither easy nor obvious. If you recall the old cartoons where the Roadrunner clunks the Wile E. Coyote on the head several times with a ball peen hammer before the coyote realizes there is a… Read more

“As someone who has tried to explain to my struggling child that ‘the answer’ is not as important as how they arrived there, listen up. She doesn’t believe you.” This was the opening line of a parent’s rant last week after her daughter broke into tears during the first 10 minutes of our session, then… Read more

One of the more frightening places parents find themselves has to be on the island of the unknown.  A struggling child, a flood of emotion, and solutions that must seem an ocean away.  Their dilemma is simple, and yet very complex; how to rescue their child.  At times, it must feel like being stranded on… Read more

When I went to Paramedic School, one of my instructors used to recite a mantra that will forever be stamped in my consciousness: Do Not Get Cornered.  In that line of work, there are times that those injured or involved in an unfortunate situations do not realize that my hope was simply to help, and… Read more

Nacre, also known as mother of pearl, is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some mollusks as an inner shell layer; it is also what makes up the outer coating of pearls. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent. All this according to Wikipedia.  Coincidentally, or perhaps not, Pearl is also the first name of one of my more endearing patients and like her… Read more

I stumbled across this Huffington Post article while eating lunch today. Its title is 7 Things You Don’t Know About A Special Needs Parent. Admittedly it is not directly related to Vision Therapy, but it has everything to do with some of the children, and families, we treat. Growing up alongside a sibling with special… Read more

If ever you wanted to find someone to testify on what Vision Therapy isn’t, you wouldn’t have to look far. Unfortunately naysayers are common, and they seem to preach the same script – lack of evidence, smoke and mirrors, money hungry practioners blah, blah, blah – I’m sure you know the rest.  But all the… Read more

For anyone unfamiliar with the game of Blackjack, “doubling down”  represents a move in the card game where the player can double their bets at certain points in the hand, while awaiting the outcome.  The idea behind doubling down is to double your bet when you have the best opportunity of beating the dealer. Most of… Read more

If there is one comment that always makes me laugh on the inside, its related to a parent’s thoughts on my level of patience.  Usually these comments occur while I am walking a patient through a difficult activity, and mom or dad’s comments come as a complete surprise!  Such was the case recently while walking… Read more

One of the many lasting lessons taken from my time working with Dr. Bob Sanet was understanding the power and importance of preparation.  Prepare for your Vision Therapy sessions, prepare for testings and prepare for conferences. To the best of your ability, always know the patient’s situation before they walk in the door because “it… Read more

If there’s one thing all therapists universally strive for, it has to be rapport.  Rapport with patients, with doctors, with staff, and with other therapists.  After all, bickering our way through a day or a session doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? Sadly though, it happens.  We’ve all been there. Last Friday one of… Read more

We all find inspiration in our own unique places.  Mine comes from my younger brother, my kids, my patients, and anyone who has a unique perspective on society that they are willing to share.  Always attractive to me are people who take pride in existing “outside the box”, and those who dare to have an… Read more

Great news, friends!  Vision and reading are unrelated!  This according to a study recently published by the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University Medical Center.   The senior study author Guinevere Eden tells us “Until now, there was still this uncertainty where some people were saying, ‘I know it’s controversial but I still believe that… Read more

My morning trek to the office sometimes will include a diversion to Starbucks, and this morning was a definitely a coffee morning.  I was surprised to see when I arrived, that the usual “morning rush” I encounter had missed me, or I it, and there was only one young woman sitting in the corner with… Read more

A few months ago, I posted an entry about “Polly”, a 22 year old patient who has a high amount of myopia to go along with her post surgical (for high exotropia) vertical imbalance.  You can read the original post here. In the weeks and months since my original post, Polly’s symptoms of dizziness and… Read more

  In previous posts, I have shared my friend Cavin’s story, as well as links to his blog.  In his latest entry, Cavin declares himself famous – ok, not really – as he proudly displays Dr. Kharrazian’s new book entitled Why My Brain Isn’t Working, which includes Cavin’s story of recovery.  As a Traumatic Brain Injury survivor, Cavin… Read more

Growing up along side a brother with special needs, I’ve come to really appreciate and embrace stories like this.  Please watch this short 6 minute video demonstrating the strength of a brother’s love – Autism included. Read more

In a perfect world, everyone would experience failure, and learn from it.  The negative spin of things not turning out the way we hoped would quickly turn into a positive plan for improving the outcome the next time. We would all accept failure as just another necessary step, and move on. If only the world… Read more

In 1975, Hans Furth and Dr. Harry Wachs published their construction of Jean Piaget’s theory in motion, in a book entitled Thinking Goes To School.  As the title suggests, the book reviews different strategies for injecting thinking into everyday classroom activities, or what Wachs and Furth refer to as “games”, in an effort to stimulate… Read more

Rejoice friends, for Marjie Thompson is smiling on us from some warm and peaceful place. Earlier this week, I stumbled across a new Facebook page that has emerged by the name Vision Therapy Parents Unite, which requires only a simple request to join. The page is a virtual town hall meeting for parents – answering questions,… Read more

Nothing is more challenging for doctors or therapists than patients who come to the office with the “let’s get this over with” look on their face.  The teenage girl who’s not afraid to let you know through body language that her bubble is being disturbed my mere presence.  The 9 year old boy who would… Read more

Recently discovered the game Pentago.  This is a great visualization, spatial awareness, perspective and visual planning exercise.  For those of you who work heavily in parquetry and geoboards, as we do, this may be another tool to consider.  Good stuff! From Wikipedia: Pentago is a two-player abstract strategy game invented by Tomas Flodén. The Swedish company Mindtwisterhas the rights… Read more

Growing up along side a sibling with developmental delays certainly left a lasting impression in my life, and I’ve written of my younger brother’s struggles in previous posts.  Although he was never diagnosed with more than a gross developmental delay, my hunch is by today’s standards, he would fall under a high functioning spectrum disorder.… Read more

Behavioral Optometry certainly has it’s naysayers, with most Ophthalmologists hovering near the top of the list.  For two professions that would seem from a distance to make natural allies, the strife between Ophthalmology and Optometry continues.  It’s a battle that has never really made sense to me, but by playing a little “tit for tat”,… Read more

The VisionHelp Group (www.visionhelp.com) recently released this excellent video.  It is a brief, yet powerful video, explaining the mission of this wonderful group of doctors.  I have received permission to post it here, and to encourage everyone to share it on their websites and professional Facebook pages. Borrowed from the VisionHelp website: The VisionHelp Group is an… Read more

If fatherhood has taught me anything, it’s that I am not perfect.  Not even close.  Many nights have been spent conferencing with my pillow, asking myself why certain situations with my kids produced the results they did.  After all, you’d think that spending all day every day helping other people’s kids would give me the skills… Read more

Made an interesting observation after reading this great blog entry by Dr. Carl Hillier on the Vision Help blog. One of my patient’s moms asked if her son (my patient’s sibling) could sit quietly in the corner of the VT room while I worked with his sister.  This little guy spent the entire hour playing… Read more

My friend Cavin, who suffered a Diffuse Axonal Injury after falling from scaffolding in 2011, maintains a blog detailing his recovery.  Cavin’s eloquent and gritty articulation style – mixed in with a quirky sense of humor –  provides a raw perspective on the physical, emotional, and neurological aspects of recovering from a TBI.  Even after… Read more

“If you tell me what I’m supposed to see, then I can look for it and tell you if I see it.” Sound familiar?  If I had a dollar for every time a patient has recited that line, I’d be writing this blog from a beach somewhere with a Mai Tai standing by.  Well, there’s… Read more

In our office – as in most Vision Therapy clinics – Visual Perceptual testing has become a necessary step of the overall diagnosis.  The goal of testing seems to be analyzing the visual perceptual skills necessary for learning and living, in hopes of discovering areas of strength and weakness.   Conventional wisdom says this process provides… Read more

Back in February, I wrote this post entitled “I don’t want to, and you can’t make me”.  The post chronicles my early dealings with Nick, a patient of mine, who had a most defiant attitude the first few times we met.  We worked through his struggles and defiance and actually developed a loving and almost… Read more

My thought in creating this blog was to provide an insider’s perspective into the life of a Vision Therapist.  Helping people succeed is dear to my heart, and sharing it seemed like the natural next step.   If you’ll permit me to deviate from that plan this morning, something closer to my heart is in the… Read more

The great Yogi Berra once said “you can learn a lot just by watching”.  True enough.  But how do we decide what we learn, and what is discarded? How do we filter the good from the bad, the insignificant from the necessary, and the important from the irrelevant? Where is the decision made and how… Read more

When it comes to managing insurance coverage, finding common ground is simple: we should just agree to disagree.  Whether patient or practitioner, opinions are strong as to which insurance to purchase, which insurance to bill, and which politician is talking the best talk about what is working. Optometry doesn’t seem immune to any of it,… Read more

Most of the Vision Therapy blogs I follow have been relatively quiet of late.  Proof positive that for those of us that who predominantly treat the school aged, the approaching summer break provides an excellent time to complete a Vision Therapy program, and we are all at our busiest.  Great news! Luckily, the efficacy of… Read more

A friend of mine shared the below photo with me.  You may want to fine tune your Figure Ground skills before walking on these rocks! Hopefully you can spot him, before he spots you. You may need to click on the picture to enlarge it. Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Read more

Robert Frost once wrote: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. It’s doubtful that Mr. Frost ever met a Behavioral Optometrist, or heard of Vision Therapy, for that matter.  His complete poem however, entitled The Road Not Taken, could easily be… Read more

As an avid sports fan, my usual morning routine includes ESPN’s “Sports Center” on TV in the background as I prepare for work – especially during baseball season.  Although I usually am more focused on the teams based in San Francisco, I do enjoy viewing the highlights and low lights in all sports.  Of particular… Read more

At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced an empty wallet.  Perhaps you’ve endured the stress of  splitting your last twenty dollars between gas for your car and the bare necessities to sustain your appetite until the next paycheck.  Or even worse, not having that twenty dollars and being left to wonder… Read more

My approach with the more challenging Vision Therapy cases always tends to be overly optimistic.  While it’s true that I am always suspect of any treatment that claims it can “cure anything”, evidence shows that Vision Therapy can produce gains in more aspects than not, since vision is the overriding input. At times though, even… Read more

Want to send a big THANK YOU to the ladies of the COVD International Office.  I have had the pleasure of speaking with Pam Happ, Jackie Cencer, Penny Melkerson-Kirby and Julie Ickes on separate occasions recently, and they are all a joy!  No matter how small or ridiculous my question or dilemma may be – and trust… Read more

We’ve all heard the old cliche about judging a book by it’s cover.  Whether we’re  talking books, old houses, restaurants, or even patients – especially patients – outward appearance usually is no reflection of content or character.  What’s more, judging someone or something based on what we see can be damaging, and just plain unfair.  I once… Read more

This past weekend, I prepared my next blog posting, which I had planned to finish editing and publish this morning.  But for now, it will have to wait. My heart and mind are elsewhere… After the events of yesterday, my thoughts are with the people in Boston, who were devastated by yet another senseless tragedy.… Read more

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Last week, in honor of Autism Awareness month, I posted a video of Ethan performing “Piano Man” by Billy Joel.  Here he is once again, performing the same song (plus an encore) at the Autism Speaks Chef Gala.  Such a great story! Read more

So it finally happened, Meghan and I had our first major issue.  A few months ago, I wrote an entry in this blog entitled A.D.D. this, which detailed my girlfriend’s struggles with her A.D.D. diagnosis, her experiences on a merry-go-round of medication, and subsequent entrance in to a Vision Therapy program.  Yesterday at lunch, we were… Read more

This story is a few years old, and the video has been floating around a while.    Every time it crosses my path, I stop to watch.  Truly a great story. I share it here again, in the spirit of Autism Awareness month.  Happy Friday! Read more

Dear Friends ~ a quick reminder that the opinions expressed on this blog are mine alone.  They are in no way associated with, or influenced by, anyone else.  It is my choice to exercise my right to free speech, and do so publicly.  These are simply my honest perceptions of my Vision Therapy world. A… Read more

It is not uncommon for patients and parents alike to ask why they have never heard of Vision Therapy prior to visiting a Behavioral Optometrist.  After all, other available therapy options like Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy seem to be more widely recognized in American households, regardless of a family’s participation in those programs.  While this question… Read more

In honor of April being Autism Awareness month, Dr. Rochelle Mozlin recently entered a great article detailing the Signs of Austism on COVD’s blog.  Coincidentally, I received an email from a friend last night, which included this video.  The young man is 6 years old and is diagnosed with Autism. Apparently  he is a big fan of Billy… Read more

One of my newest patients in Vision Therapy is a teenage boy with exotropia.  He is a charming young man, who has led a less than charmed life, through no fault of his own.  Born into a single parent household, he didn’t meet his biological father until he was almost a teenager.  As the story… Read more

Back in early February, I shared the story of a friend in a post entitled “A.D.D. this“. The entry chronicles the experiences of one person’s A.D.D. diagnosis, her subsequent encounters with medication after medication, and her eventual decision to remove herself from the pool of over-medicated Americans. As absurd as her story seems, the unfortunate reality is, cases… Read more

Last Wednesday marked the first day of Spring, which for all intents and purposes, has become one of my favorite days of the year.  Spring marks the beginning of warmer weather, the arrival of a new baseball season, and the opportunity to change into shorts and a T-shirt after work –  a personal favorite. The beginning of… Read more

Far be it from me to offer unsolicited parenting advice to others, while somehow blindly assuming that “my way” is more effective.  Lord knows, I tend to be less than appreciative when I’m on the receiving end of those conversations.  As a self imposed professional guideline, my advice generally remains within the confines of the therapy room –… Read more

Ok dads, time to put away your cell phones.  Our session has begun. Considering this is my second bash of technology in as many nights, I want to lead off by saying that it’s nothing personal. I love my cell phone, love my laptop, love the internet, and love the way social media allows us… Read more

When developing the the Austin Children’s Museum, the architects may not have had Dr. Harry Wachs in mind; they did however, inadvertently pay homage to a man that has contributed greatly to Behavioral Optometry’s understanding of child development.   The problem solving challenges available to children in the museum push the logical mind to a… Read more

Recently, I discovered the origin of the phrase “you are what you eat”, and who is given credit for creating it. His name is Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, a Paris attorney turned politician in the early 1800’s. He wrote: “Dis-moi ce que tu manges, je te dirai ce que tu es.” [Tell me what you eat and I will… Read more

Nothing pleases me more than observing other therapists at work, and learning from their approaches. I so enjoy the sharing and debating of ideas for treatment that I have not tried before, and understanding someone else’s thoughts.  It creates an opportunity for all of us to learn, and for me personally, identifies an opportunity to expand on… Read more

Recently finished reading Born on A Blue Day by Daniel Tammet, an amazing memoir of life with Asperger’s and Savant Syndromes.  I was struck at the amount of visualization and visual cues Daniel describes and uses just to get through his day, perhaps without knowing he is doing it.  He describes days, numbers, and languages in… Read more

I grew up in San Francisco among the hippies and the homeless, where the fog kept us cool in the summer and gave us something to complain about in the winter, where the Giants and 49ers became somewhat of an obsession, and where the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz were just touristy places to avoid… Read more

Monday 5:00pm – Sit in the chair, slide to the floor, roll over and scratch your head, take off one shoe and sock,  throw shoe across the room, stick sock in your pocket, climb back on the chair, pull Vectogram slides apart and drop one on the floor, hand second slide to mom, pick your… Read more

Balancing the human ego can be a tricky task sometimes. Too much ego from one person can be troubling, while too little ego can be – well, troubling. Nothing is more annoying than watching the interview of a sporting superstar whose underlying message is “let me tell you how wonderful I am”.  I always want… Read more

My Dear Friends – I know it is probably against blogger etiquette (if there is such a thing) to blog about my blog, but I want to thank everyone for the incredible response to my last post –  “una bella vita” – which is Italian for “a beautiful life”.   I never imagined it would touch… Read more

Every office has stories of Vision Therapy success, and surely, we’ve all felt the pleasure of changing a person’s life almost literally before their eyes. I am sure for most people that will read this blog, helping others is not just what you do, it’s woven into the very fabric of who you are. For me… Read more

In the Vision Therapy Room, we often call a patient’s attention to change, and awareness of change in hopes that they pay attention to available information that may have been previously ignored.  For instance, changes in body posture, changes in feeling, changes in space, and so on.  Some patients quickly gain an awareness of the… Read more

Well it’s that time of year again – time to turn in those Open Book Questions.  I know many aspiring COVT’s out there are working hard to meet the deadlines while their mentors are working hard to help guide them.  Personally, I’ve been up late the last few nights trying to keep up with my… Read more

The credit card slip Tang’s mom signed this morning was a mere formality.  Truth be told,  I would see him for free. Tang is every bit the nine year old boy you might expect.  He laughs, loves playing jokes, is interested in everything he sees, tries to fool me at every turn, and wants to… Read more

So let’s just face the facts for a moment – attitude really is everything. Recently, I conducted an experiment on myself that involved attitude. I identified two patients currently in therapy, Patient A and Patient B. Both patients are female. Patient A is very easy to work with, not necessarily in visual diagnosis, but sweet, compliant, eager to please,… Read more

This post is dedicated to memory of Dr. Donald Getz, who while lecturing in San Diego in 2006  stated “I never understood the term Attention Deficit Disorder anyway.  How in the hell can you have a disorder of your deficit?” By now most of us have heard, the visual symptoms of a struggling child can… Read more

So I learned a valuable lesson this weekend – nobody is perfect. I took my son to an Arena Cross event on Saturday night here in Austin, TX.  For those of you who don’t know, Arena Cross is an indoor motorcycle race in the mud.  My son is 7 years old, so dirt bikes and… Read more

So as you no doubt gathered from the subject line, I have one of my favorite kids in therapy.  On his first session, he came in, sat in a chair, folded his arms and met my every request with a most belligerent “I don’t want to and you can’t make me…”.  And yes I was serious, he… Read more

Today  started like most other days – waking up early, a hot cup of coffee, getting my kids up and dressed, packing lunches, double checking backpacks,  hurrying to school while listening to a 10 year old girl and a 7 year old boy debate whose jacket is better looking, a quick kiss goodbye in the… Read more

So I did it.  I have given up soda for good. That 4 to 5 soda a day habit…..done. Those of you who know me personally probably just fell off your chairs. Sorry about that! Before you run out to sell your stock in Coca Cola though, try to remain upright long enough to continue… Read more

In my younger days, I despised the word “normal” when used to describe a person.  Over and over I would hear parents, educators, and other professionals alike refer to a person as normal – or even worse, abnormal – and hate the description.  Normal grades, normal learning style, normal development, normal behavior, normal test results… Read more

Have you ever reported to your doctor of a patient’s struggle with a particular activity, only to find out the next week that the patient did very well while trying that activity with a different therapist?  Its happened to me so so many times.  While we are always happy for the patient’s success, it’s hard… Read more

Recently, during a training session in our office, I had a revelation – how far a little love can go. A little back story: I’ve always been guarded against referring to a patient by their diagnosis (ie. that “8 year old CE” – or “that TBI”). My mantra continually is “patients are people first – who happen to… Read more

My goals when I started working as a Vision Therapist did not include becoming the best. Honestly, I’m not even sure that back then I knew what being “the best” really meant. Truth be told, my early days as a therapist were more about the paycheck than any speck of vocational quality. So much so… Read more