This week my little boy, my little, 3yr-old boy, got his first pair of eyeglasses. He is farsighted and has amblyopia. This means that one eye sees “better” than the other eye and is caused, not by problems within the eye itself, but by brain development in the “vision center” of the brain. Our optometrist recommended glasses to treat our son’s vision.
When trying glasses on (because we were determined to get some “cool ones”) the little man was not very helpful. He did not see the point in trying on the glasses, keeping them on, or “posing” so we and others could take a look and develop an opinion. If I had been planning ahead, I probably would have written a Social Story™ (just for the occasion of “trying on glasses”)!
Social Stories™, originally developed for children with autism, are short, personalized stories used to teach children how to participate in specific activities. I’ve used Social Stories™ with my kids to prepare for going on trips and flying in an airplane and going to the allergist, and for potty training. The stories follow specific guidelines developed by Carol Gray. Each includes: descriptive, perspective, directive, and sometimes, control statements. Descriptive statements do just that. They describe a situation or activity. Perspective statements describe the feelings of the subject in the story, as well as other’s that their behavior my affect. Directive statements remind or teach the child what he/she should do in the given situation/activity. Control statements are statements, sentences, or phrases that a child writes down after reading the story, kind of like summarizing the story. Dr. Gray recommends only 1directive statement for every 2-5 descriptive and perspective statements. The idea is to keep the story positive.
In this case, I might have taken pictures of my son without glasses, pictures of the optometrist’s office and the wall of glasses to choose from, pictures of me with my glasses on, etc. I would then write a short story to go with the pictures. It may have gone something like this:
Soon I will wear glasses.
We’ll get my glasses at the eye doctor.
Before I can take my glasses home, we’ll need to pick some out.
I’ll patiently try on glasses for mom and dad.
They’ll want to see me with them on. They’ll be so happy!
The story would be written in first person (my son’s point of view) and walk him through the process of choosing glasses. I have found that writing stories for situations that are not so “routine” has helped my children understand what is expected of them when “just talking” about it didn’t quite “do”. Typically, I have laminated the books and tied them together with ribbon. Now, even though those situations are no longer difficult, they are my children’s favorite books!
You can learn more about Social Stories™ and how to write them at http://www.thegraycenter.org.
At http://www.region2library.org/SocialStories.htm you can view and print sample Social Stories for free!
Another great resource I found is an online community for family and friends of young children with glasses: http://www.littlefoureyes.com
Enedelia Amy Sanner, M.A., BCBA obtained a BS in Human Development (Behavior Analysis) and a MS degree in Human Development (Applied Behavior Analysis) from the KU. She obtained board certification in behavior analysis (BCBA) in 2002. She works part-time as a consulting behavior analyst, primarily with children with special needs and their families. Amy has resided in Gardner with her husband and 2 children for 6 years.
As you know, vision problems like amblyopia can develop in children anytime from birth and are not always obvious to parents. Pediatricians routinely screen childrenâs eyes for signs of vision issues during well-visits, but until a child is old enough to fully respond verbally to the letters on a standard eye chart, it has been difficult, even for pediatricians, to determine objectively if silent vision issues are present.
Many pediatricians are now offering a new test called the Enfant Pediatric VEP VIsion Testing System as part of their preventative healthcare arsenal.
The Enfant:
- Is a high-tech, clinically proven vision test that delivers a 97 percent sensitivity in detecting visual deficits
- Is a non-invasive, child-friendly medical device that tests for vision deficits in children as young as six months old.
- Uses a breakthrough technology called Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), which measures a child's brain waves to see if their eyes are working together and seeing the same thing, or if thereâs a vision problem present, in just a few minutes per eye. Through VEP, the Enfant is able to identify vision problems that a physician might not otherwise detect during more conventional, subjective eye exams.
- Can be easily incorporated into a child's routine pediatrician "well" visit.
- Features animated characters and graphics accompanied by music.
- In most cases, the test is reimbursable by insurance.
For more information on the Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System, or to find a doctor in your area, please visit www.enfantvision.com.
Elisawrote on 5/21/2009 11:24 am
http://www.littlefoureyes.com is a great resource. Great story!
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The Enfant Vision Team wrote on 5/27/2009 7:41 am
As you know, vision problems like amblyopia can develop in children anytime from birth and are not always obvious to parents. Pediatricians routinely screen childrenâs eyes for signs of vision issues during well-visits, but until a child is old enough to fully respond verbally to the letters on a standard eye chart, it has been difficult, even for pediatricians, to determine objectively if silent vision issues are present.
Many pediatricians are now offering a new test called the Enfant Pediatric VEP VIsion Testing System as part of their preventative healthcare arsenal.
The Enfant:
- Is a high-tech, clinically proven vision test that delivers a 97 percent sensitivity in detecting visual deficits
- Is a non-invasive, child-friendly medical device that tests for vision deficits in children as young as six months old.
- Uses a breakthrough technology called Visual Evoked Potential (VEP), which measures a child's brain waves to see if their eyes are working together and seeing the same thing, or if thereâs a vision problem present, in just a few minutes per eye. Through VEP, the Enfant is able to identify vision problems that a physician might not otherwise detect during more conventional, subjective eye exams.
- Can be easily incorporated into a child's routine pediatrician "well" visit.
- Features animated characters and graphics accompanied by music.
- In most cases, the test is reimbursable by insurance.
For more information on the Enfant Pediatric VEP Vision Testing System, or to find a doctor in your area, please visit www.enfantvision.com.
Elisa wrote on 5/21/2009 11:24 am
http://www.littlefoureyes.com is a great resource. Great story!
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