Misc,
Functional visual performance in children: Does occupational therapy treatment of visual skills improve functional outcomes for children with visual-perceptual/ visual-motor impairments?
(December 2003)
Abstract
According to the occupational therapy practice framework, visual skills are within our scope of practice, and yet it is an area in which we may feel that we lack training or evidence. Many studies describe the visual-perceptual/visual motor skills of subsets of children, but there are far fewer which deal with outcomes for particular interventions. One such intervention, vision training, is well supported by evidence, but should only be performed under supervision of an optometrist (OD). In some settings, occupational therapists (OT) work with behavioral optometrists in implementing vision therapy programs or addressing the child’s related needs such as fine motor development or sensory integration. Collaboration between the two professions is supported by case studies and clinical judgment. However, due to the limited nature of this collaboration and the scarcity of outcome studies, it continues to be controversial. Outcomes of other treatments for visual-perceptual/visual-motor dysfunction such as sensory integration training are not included here.
