IREAD-3…How Vision Therapy Can Help

If you live in Indiana and are a parent or guardian of a 3rd grader, by now you’ve heard of IREAD-3 (Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination). This standardized test is given in March each year to all Indiana 3rd graders and measures each child’s foundational reading skills. If you have an avid reader you’re probably not too concerned. However, if your child is struggling to keep up with his or her class, you both might be nervous about this impending test. You may have tried working one-on-one with your child at home, hiring tutors, or using reading apps. They might even be getting extra help at school. Yet nothing seems to be making a difference. Reading just isn’t coming naturally for your child. It is time to consider that there might be a visual issue that is causing them to struggle.

It is estimated that 1 in 4 children has a vision problem that is affecting their learning. In order to be able to read well, the reader must be able to coordinate their eye movements as a team, follow a line of print without losing their place, and maintain clear focus as they read or make quick focusing changes when looking up to the board and back to their desks. In addition to these skills, they also must be able to interpret and accurately process what they are seeing. If a child has inadequate visual skills in any of these areas, reading is usually a struggle. 

If you are concerned about your child’s reading skills, vision therapy might be the answer. If you notice your child skipping or reversing words or lines while reading or copying, losing their place, using their finger to follow text, difficulty comprehending or remembering what they’ve read, unusual posture, or complaints of eye strain, tiredness or pain after reading, their reading struggle may be more visual than academic. Here at Indiana Vision Development Center, work with these issues every day and can help your child get back on track with their reading skills.