Hey Folks!
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It may be April Fool's Day, but visual processing is no joke. It can be the cause of learning disabilities, and the inability to easily read, write, and do math. This month I will be focusing on visual processing and its different aspects. Today I focus on acuity vs. visual processing.
As an April fools gift to everyone, we want to offer our sale of the month product Primitive Reflexes: Foundations for Learning for one last day. Even though today is full of jokes, this is not an April Fools joke! Take advantage of the savings today. Click here for more information.
Carol Brown of Equipping Minds is having a conference in April that I will be speaking at, along with several others. More information at http://equippingminds.com/events/equipping-minds-conference-april-8-10-danville-ky/.
If you have already tried our primitive reflex exercises, I would love to hear your story. Please send me an email with your story and with your consent we will publish them on our testimonial page of our website. If you would like to hear what people have said, take a look at the page yourself.
www.pyramidofpotential.com/testimonials
Thank you so much! Kathy
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Visual Processing versus Acuity
Acuity is the ability to see clearly, both near for reading and far for seeing the board. Visual processing is the ability to process in the brain what is seen. The acuity may be good for a person with other visual processing problems - a list is at the bottom of this article.
If a person cannot see clearly due to an acuity problem, an optometrist can prescribe glasses. Yet, in most states, it is not a requirement for children to see an optometrist to make sure the eyes are healthy and that vision is developing correctly. As a matter of fact, here in New York State, I have seen children who had been in special reading classes for years before someone asked the parent if they had taken their child to the optometrist for glasses. The child got glasses and then could read.
Hmmmmm. The child spent that time and the districts money while losing self-esteem, when all that was needed was glasses - for near-point acuity. To be able to read books. Who is checking for this (in most states)? Not the pediatrician; not the Kindergarten screening. They both check for far-point acuity when the chart is placed on the wall 20 feet away from them. (If your school or state has all children checked for near-point acuity - kudos!!)
Why doesn't the teacher or occupational therapist refer the parent to the optometrist? Actually, it is a matter of protocol. In a public school situation, if a teacher or OT tells the parent that their child should see the optometrist the school will have to pay for the appointment and glasses. The teacher or OT will get in trouble. However, if the teacher or OT refers the child to the school nurse for vision, the nurse can make the referral to the optometrist because she is another medical professional. In this case, the child gets what is needed and no one gets into trouble.
Why doesn't the pediatrician check for near-point acuity or send children to the optometrist or ophthalmologist? I honestly don't know. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:
"Because children do not complain of visual difficulties, visual acuity measurement (vision screening) is an important part of complete pediatric eye care and should begin at 3 years of age. To achieve the most accurate testing possible, the most sophisticated test that the child is capable of performing should be used. The frequency of examinations recommended is in accordance with the American Academy of Pediatrics "Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care." Any child unable to be tested after 2 attempts or in whom an abnormality is suspected or detected should be referred for an initial eye evaluation by an ophthalmologist experienced in the care of children."
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/111/4/902.full.pdf
However, even though it is said that children should get their acuity checked by age 3, near-point acuity - for reading - does not routinely happen.
If the family does not have money for glasses, the local Lions Club may be able to help. They are a service organization that has vision as its mission.
Beyond acuity, a person may not have developed good visual processing, resulting in one or more of the following issues:
- Amblyopia or Lazy Eye
- Astigmatism
- Tracking
- Convergence
- Diplopia and Double Vision
- Dyslexia
- Strabismus or Crossed Eyes
- Others
More information on these can be found in the newsletters this month as well as at www.covd.org. Next week I will be writing about tracking and the saccades - they are related to reading.
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Tell Me Your Story
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I am collecting stories about the effectiveness of primitive reflex integration, no matter what the process is or what method was used. Will you help? Please provide the following in your own words and in story form. Please keep it to about 2 paragraphs.
- Diagnosis or issue
- Changes found
- Methodology
- What reflexes were integrated
- Other therapies that were used concurrently
- Minimally their initials and location (state or country)
I will be putting these together in a free ebook organized by issue, so that people all over the world will have hope for themselves or loved ones. By sharing this everywhere, more people will get help. This is not to promote Pyramid of Potential, but instead to promote primitive reflexes. I want to collect hundreds!!
Thank you so much! Kathy
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Contact Us
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Kathy Johnson, MS Ed
kjohnson@pyramidofpotential.com
Bob Johnson bobjohnson@pyramidofpotential.com
Pyramid of Potential 245 Washington St #3369 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 518-260-3937
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Take a Look!
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YouTube videos
Old Newsletters
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Get Primitive Reflexes: Foundations for Learning with a huge savings of 20%
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This 7 hour webinar course includes history, research, and videos on how to test and integrate 6 primitive reflexes that are truly the foundation for learning, Moro, Palmar, Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex, Spinal Galant, Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex and Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex. If you are interested in obtaining CEUs for taking this course, please contact Kathy Johnson at kjohnson@pyramidofpotential.com.
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Vision Development: Causes of Learning Disabilities
| Kathy Johnson describes how vision - beyond acuity and the need for glasses - is a cause of learning disabilities. Watch her eyes closely!! |
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Upcoming Presentations
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March 10, 2015
6:30 to 8:30pm
63 Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Kathy Johnson of Pyramid of Potential
Presents
Improving Memory For All Ages:
Putting the Research into Practice
No matter what caused the memory problem - age, learning disability, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, stroke, or even if you don't know the exact cause, neuroplasticity of the brain means that the brain can change and that memory can improve.
Please come and spend the evening learning how to overcome brain issues. For the past 13 years, Ms. Johnson has been helping people of all ages and issues using the latest in brain research. She will take you through a few examples of how this is done, as well as show you case studies from her own experience and from a school that has implemented these procedures.
Coming up:
ADHD: Overcoming It Without Drugs
April 14, 6:30 - 8:45
Presented through the SIMEN network
Saratoga Public Library, Saratoga Springs, NY
Stroke and TBI: What to do beyond Insurance-covered Rehab
May 21, 6:30 - 8:30
63 Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Improving Reading When Reading Methods Don't Work Well Enough
June 18, 6:30 - 8:30
63 Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Improving Handwriting and Composition Abilities
August 20. 6:30 - 8:30
63 Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
Improving Math and Word Problems When the Methods Don't Work Well Enough
September 17, 6:30 - 8:30
63 Putnam Street, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
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Where's Kathy?
It is now time to set up your professional development at your school - Kathy is available for many dates this Fall! Call now to secure YOUR date! Below are the upcoming workshops that Kathy Johnson is giving. If she is not coming to your area, why not hire her for your next professional development? 
Thursday, April 23, 2015 in OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Speaker: KATHY JOHNSON, MS ED Early Registration: $189.99
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Friday, April 24, 2015 in DALLAS, TX Speaker: KATHY JOHNSON, MS ED Early Registration: $189.99
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015 in FORT LEE, NJ Speaker: KATHY JOHNSON, MS ED Early Registration: $189.99
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Thursday, May 14, 2015 in PARSIPPANY, NJ Speaker: KATHY JOHNSON, MS ED Early Registration: $189.99
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Friday, May 15, 2015 in SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ Speaker: KATHY JOHNSON, MS ED Early Registration: $189.99
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If you aren't near any of these on-site professional development conferences, consider the following: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Dysgraphia: An Integrated Approach Price: $169.99 Author: Kathy Johnson, MS Ed. Format: DVD |
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