Visual perception and learning: issues and answers

The role of the optometrist in treating children who are identified as learning disabled is not always understood by members of an interdisciplinary team. It is the purpose of this paper to develop a brief philosophical foundation for optometric intervention and to review some of the literature which supports the validity of optometric therapy. Correlational studies are cited to establish a basic relationship between perceptual dysfunctions and learning readiness in normal children. After establishing that perceptual training does indeed improve perceptual skills, we cite a number of investigations where intervention enabled children who had been classified as learning disabled to respond more effectively to school learning. The role of the optometrist as a member of an interdisciplinary team is addressed.