Six common visual dysfunctions are briefly explained and their relationships to reading noted: (1) ametropia, refractive error; (2) inaccurate saccades, the small jumping eye movements used in reading; (3) inefficient binocularity/fusion; (4) insufficient convergence/divergence; (5) heterophoria, imbalance in extra-ocular muscles; and (6)…

The author cautions that far from being an educational panacea, computers may actually be frustrating or even harmful for children with visual problems, including difficulties with visual-tactual development, visual attention span, and nearsightedness. A coordinated program implemented by education and clinicians is advocated. (CL)

Differentiated are children with mental regress learning deficiency characterized by poor capacity to mentally reorder events and children with poor memory. (DB)

The author speculates on the mythic symbolism of the maze and describes her work with learning disabled students who responded favorably to mazes, especially to visualization tasks involving mazes. (CL)

Computers should not supplant other forms of basic instruction for learning disabled students. Overreliance on computers could lead to difficulties for students with poor visual skills and to inadequate practice for students with motor problems. (CL)

Significant visual and visual-perceptual problems must be identified in the early school years to save unnecessary stress, frustration, and anxiety. Classroom diagnosis using formal and informal measures can lead to referral to developmental or functional optometrists. (CL)

Resistance applied to activities of rocking, creeping, and walking as a means to increase visual attention of students who are easily distracted is described. The resistance activities are said to result in improvement of gross motor coordination, oculomotor control, memory processes, and untimately, greater efficiency in academic learning. (CL)

In an examination of the validity of the Visual Closure subtest of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, 94 learning disabled students (mean age 9 years) were administered three visual measures. (CL)

The author describes a technique, a visual spelling approach, which has been used successfully with learning disabled students who demonstrate poor auditory discrimination but who have good visual skills. (SW)

A visual/spatial nonverbal approach to sentence development for the reading and learning disabled uses pictures, model sentence configurations, and function words. Students are encouraged to contribute their own written language that conforms to the model. Visual and sentence clues provide input to the right brain, encouraging language learning.…

Evaluated with a total of 60 primary-grade children was the effectiveness in improving ocular motor control of three training programs: the Bender proprioceptive facilitative feedback exercises, the Marsden ball program, and perceptual exercises. (DB)

The effects of brain waves and alpha rhythms on attentiveness to visual stimuli are discussed, and preliminary research findings and research needs are considered in connection with measuring and training for attention. (LH)

The article reviews 22 studies concerned with learning disabled children under 10 years old in which there was a clear attempt to compare auditory and visual modality preferenes to visual and/or auditory methods of teaching words or other written verbal symbols. (PHR)

The importance of competence in both receptive and expressive language, selective perception, and a rich experiential background for reading readiness skills of hearing impaired children is empahsized. (CL)