White board problems

[Claw3]

Ds has a dx of oculomotor deficiencies type ll (visual tracking difficulties) When dx was made eye specialist stated what the consequences of the disorder could be ie difficulties with reading, writing etc, but no recommendations.

Attended parents evening tonight and have just discovered that ds cannot read from a whiteboard. Teacher was unaware that ds had an eye disorder (probably because it does not feature in his IEP as up until now it hasnt caused him any difficulties, he can read books etc well)

Teacher asked me what they could do to help ds with this. I dont know what can be done, anyone with any experience of this?

I have an eye appointment with eye specialist in about 2 months, but i have a meeting tomorrow with SENCO and OT and would like to be able to make some suggestions, if they dont have any. I can of course tell SENCO to contact eye specialist or do this myself.

I have no experience of this at all, but I wonder whether changing to colour of the white board back ground would help. I know this is possible, perhaps something to ask the eye specialist. Hopefully someone more knowledgable will be along.....?

You need input from the specialist to know what tints will help, but school can produce materials on specific coloured backgrounds, or print in a colour, font and size that suits your DS.
Likewise with using the IWB, the background can be altered.

Sparkle, the eye specialist also tested ds for Irelene Syndrome (where coloured overlay helps) and he read better without the overlay. It gets a bit confusing

I wondered if he would have the same problem, if they used blackboards. I will try to contact the eye specialist before my meeting.

They often work from a whiteboard and if ds cannot read it, something needs to be done ASAP.

His teacher just told him "tell your mum to take you for an eye test" very helpful, when he cant read it!

whiteboards are notoriously bad for anyone with eye problems, it's the glare. As far as I'm aware there's nothing you can do about the whiteboard itself. But if it runs through a computer you should be able to get what's on the whiteboard on the computer screen which he stands a much better chance of being able to see so he would have to sit in front of that. The other alternative if it's preprepared work is that they print it off for him beforehand so he can sit with a hard copy in front of him. You could also try contacting the sensory impairment service and ask the advice of a teacher of the visually impaired, they may be able to offer some support, depends on what their criteria are.

Bigcar, thanks very helpful, i can suggest your suggestions for now. One of the occasions when he found it impossible, was when teacher showed a number of items on the whiteboard, then switched it off and asked the class to estimate how many they had seen. He just couldnt do it (ASD Outreach advisor told me this yesterday and i assumed it was a one off) Meeting with class teacher tonight and she says its every time they use the whiteboard.

ASD Outreach have referred to visual impairment service, but im assuming this will take a few weeks.

Thanks for your suggestions.

The LEA should have a person who deals with IT and disability who should be able to go in and advise. Perhaps ring one of the special schools and ask if they know ie someone who deals with providing switches etc

Hi Agnes, thanks. Do you think the visual impairment team, might be the LEA person?

Im expecting draft statement on the 5th so hopefully visual impairment should be written into it. Perhaps i should write to LA with the further developments now before it goes to 'panel' on 28th to make sure it is?

It would be worth writing I think there should be someone who deals specifically with computers eg for kids who need adapted computers etc and should know about this sort of stuff. If you have a sld or pmld school they could probably give you the contact or there should be an area senco. I don't know about visual Impaired team. Your school should know who the area senco is but do you think they would be able give him laptop or something linked to White board. That's why I was thinking of someone who deals with computers for sn

Just looked on LA's website, the visual impairment team are the LA and advisory service for schools who also lend equipment. "Priority for service delivery
?Children with hearing impairment
?Children with visual impairment
?Children with autistic spectrum disorder"

Meeting today is to discuss his eating in school, but i will mention this to.

Thanks Agnes.

claw, where I live equipment comes through the vi team for school, including computer stuff, also be aware that whilst agnes suggestion of a laptop is a good one, the screens can be hard to get at the right angle and lighting to see properly too.

Where in the classroom does he sit? He might have the problem my boy has which he can only read the whiteboard if he is directly in front of it. Definately ask for him to sit front and centre while you are awaiting more tests.

My boy reads very well and is a total bookworm so we had no idea his vision was do bad. But is actually appalling.

If you can visit a BABO optometrist.

Bigcar, ds has a laptop at home, as im trying to improve his typing skills (handwriting is a bit of struggle for him) i could offer to let school use that?

Indigobell Well his class teacher says he was sitting at the front and the writing on whiteboard was quite big, which was why she was concerned that he was saying he couldnt read it.

Ds is a real bookworm too. I think he is reading at age appropriate or even advanced level, although he will miss a line now the print is getting smaller and closer together.

You mentioned a BABO optometrist on a previously thread, can you tell a bit more about them, what do they do?

noooooo, don't offer for him to take his, they won't feel resposible for looking after it! As you are sure he has no problems adjusting it for his needs suggest it to the vi team/school that they provide use of one. If the referal has been made to the vi team ring and chase them, especially if you are mid statement writing, they may be able to add something useful, like use of laptop or at very least other forms of adaptive technology.

Should also add that ds has been under the care of an eye specialist since he was 9 months old.

She suspected that ds had Brown Syndrome in one of his eyes and for years his eyes did not move together. Then literally overnight, it just stopped, so couldnt have been Brown's as it is a life long condition. Once ds received his recent dx of ASD, eye specialist referred him onto another eye specialist to be tested for Irlene Syndrome, he read better without the overlay, so Irlene Syndrome was ruled out.

She also tested for tracking difficulties "on developmental eye movement test he was found to have type ll oculomotor deficiencies which means his visual memory is good but that his ability to follow lines as for reading and writing was very inaccurate and this also made it very slow"

This was very contradictory as his reading ability is brilliant. But its obviously affecting him with the whiteboard.

sounds like it's a combination of things for him, probably made worse by the glare on the screen. May be there's more information on the whiteboard than you'd get on a page in a book do you think, or maybe it's not layed out so neatly?

Bicar, im really not sure, ds usually has everyone baffled, including me. This difficulty is a new one and im sure it will become clearer. Ds also complains of pictures/words being "fuzzy" and often has sore eyes and rubs at them.

2nd eye specialist told me she suspected dyspraxia and to get some OT input. Ds had OT input previously, but she was crap and didnt do her job properly, i had to make official complaint about her, she then went on long term sick. We then moved borough, new borough does not have any sensory trained OT's. Feel like im going in circles!

Just phoned the advisory team, person i need to speak to is on school visits, but she will be emailed and asked to contact me.

Trying to phone specialist at the hospital, but i cant even get through to the dept, let alone speak to her.

He has also previously pulled out his eyelashes to the point of his eyes swelling up and weeping. At the start of the 6 weeks holidays he rubbed at his eye so much it become swollen and closed up, so he couldnt see out of it. He definitely has big eye problems.

But as usual no one thinks it is a big deal, other than me. I will have to kicking and screaming to get something done.

It hasnt been helped at all, by previous school denying that ds had any difficulties and that i was a loon. New school have been very good and can see what i see.

oh that's not good is it, poor thing. I think that's part of the problem, the dcs have to be able to tell us clearly what they can and can't see and as los don't usually realise that other people see differently to them it can be hard to know. We had a similar thing with dd3, we have never thought she could see that far or clearly but because she'll copy others behaviour like sitting nicley at circle time, everyone thought she had a clue what was going on. They've now realised she clearly doesn't, but they had to take their own time to find that out argh!

the vi team here are pretty fab and have spent a fair bit of time working with dd3 in school, they're more interested in dealing with the practicalities than a dx.

Bigcar, the lady from the VI team just phoned, i explained about statement etc and she asked if she could gatecrash the meeting this afternoon to get me to sign referral form and she will assess him on Monday!

Explained his history and she said after assessment, she can recommend laptop etc, she will recommend at meeting today that ds be allowed to use teachers laptop in the meantime.

Wow they have been brilliant.

She also told me there is some brilliant research going on in Scotland and recommended that if ever i was in Scotland, i visit the place. Will have to ask more about that.

Claw - my son has severe visual processing problems, but obviously I don't know if they are the same as your sons.

My DS went blind AND developed Nystagmus the day after his 3 month vaccination (those conditions shouldn't exist together)

Luckily by about 12 months his vision seemed fine (again, another impossibility - you don't 'grow out' of nystagmus), and I thought there was no lasting damage....

Anyway, we had no idea he still had vision problems until last year when we went to the Sound Learning Centre and OT. Both of them straight away picked up visual perception problems. (ie they showed him a picture of straight lines and asked him what he saw and he said 'wavy lives'. plus eye tracking problems and loads of other things)

The OT referred us to an Orthoptist - who did absolutely nothing but ask to see us again in 6 months.

Sound learning centre gave us daily vision exercises to do as part of his retained reflexes program :)

I have no idea if his vision is improving or not. He can't really articulate any problems with it at all. But I know he can only read the whiteboard if he is directly in front of it.

I'm planning to stick with the Sound Learning Centre until they dismiss us and then try a BABO optometerist. BABO is basically vision therapy - like an OT who specialises in vision as far as I can tell - but I haven't tried them yet.

His eyes still wobble occasionally. One day I noticed his eyes wobbling and asked what he saw when his eyes wobbled - and he said "It's like a screen saver comes down!" . So he has been intermittently loosing his vision all his life and never mentioned it!

Anyway - you can absolutely not tell in any way that my son has eyesight problems - even though the sound learning centre said they really are quite severe problems. He can read for hours. Use a computer etc (although he needs a purple background). It really affects his school work but he refuses to complain or make a fuss because he 'doesn't want to be different'

Sound Learning Centre does do a vision therapy type program as well - but that didn't work for him because he wouldn't participate.

fantastic news claw

indigo, dd3 is the same, noone realises she can't see much past the end of her nose, she runs around much the same as any other child

Indigobell, thats interesting ds has described to me previously what he calls "flash backs". I asked him to describe what happens and he says everything goes white and he cannot see, then he finds himself somewhere else and doesnt know what happened or how he got there.

Eye specialist gave us exercise to do at home, which ds did a couple of times, then refused. At next appointment 3 months later, she said the exercises must be working as she could see an improvement he only did them about 3 times!

I still see from time to time, ds's eyes not moving together and he refuses to look upwards, but 1st eye specialist told me i must be imagining it.

Will find out about the research in Scotland which the VI lady spoke very highly of and let you know the name of it.

Place in Scotland is bound to be Jordans Eye Centre in Ayr

Forgot to ask her, but she did say it was in Ayr, so you are probably right.

She is going into school this morning and is going to test ds for visual processing and write directly to the LA this afternoon. Im impressed at how seriously the VI team have taken this.

that must be a relief claw. Will you get some feedback today as well?