Kim Rossi

Dr. Randy Schulman on Autism and Vision

This piece is from Age of Autism today. Randy is also the Mom of Gianna's bestest friend.

Dr.Randy Schulman treats my daughter Bella. Bella's eyes were not tracking, and you could see each eye "wander" as she lost focus. After a long exam by a top pediatric opthalmologist, her ocular health was pronounced, "intact." Mind you, this doc spent over two hours with Bella. He was really interested in her health and we chatted amiably. I'd go back to him in a second for opthalmological care. (Heck, he even drives a Prius!) He said that Bella's vision problem was neurological, not muscular. So while he sent us off, we still had a real eye problem. We went to Dr. Schulman, who created a pair of glasses that have helped Bella noticeably. The moral of the story is that even the best docs in the medical field are often unable to help a child on the spectrum. We require specialists within specialties. Isn't that special? Dr. Schulman was kind enough to prepare this post for our readers. Enjoy. Kim

By Randy Schulman, MS, OD, FCOVD

Many of the behavioral characteristics of those falling within the autism spectrum involve the visual system. Poor eye contact, staring at lights or spinning objects, looking askance, side viewing and general difficulties attending are often symptoms of visual dysfunction. Thus, any individual with a diagnosis of autism, PDD, learning disability, speech-language delay, sensory integration dysfunction, Asperger syndrome, non-verbal learning disability or with psychological problems should most certainly undergo a thorough examination by a developmental optometrist.

Read the full article at Age of Autism HERE.