Posted by Claire on 16:12 Jan 17
In Reply to: Question #2-Not sure what to call this posted by Quiver0f10
That level of testing is basic -- standard IQ and achievement testing. It will show the problems you have observed, but won't tell you *why* he has these problems or what to do about them (beyond what you are already doing).
I will third getting a developmental vision evaluation. Being able to decode individual words but then falling apart in text is typical of certain types of visual efficiency deficit. As others have mentioned, visual efficiency skills are *not* tested in regular eye exams.
The website below gives good information about this type of problem. You can find board-certified developmental optometrists in your area at http://www.covd.org .
You may also want to check the list of optometrists at http://www.homevisiontherapy.com , especially if money is tight for therapy. The computer software is pretty good for the most common types of problems. Cost of pre-testing, the software (done at home under your supervision), and post-testing is usually under $300 total. See if you can find an optometrist there who is also listed at the COVD site.
As Kathy mentioned, vision therapy to correct the visual efficiency deficit may be just the first step. Quite a few children with this problem (especially older ones) need follow-up with cognitive skills training to become fluent readers of text. This was the case with my dd. VT brought her visual efficiency skills up to age-appropriate levels, but it wasn't until she was halfway through cognitive skills training that her visual *processing* skills had been developed enough to handle text fluently. But, one step at a time. First find out if there is a visual efficiency problem.