Pediatric Neuro-Optometry: Treating Vision Problems in Children With Autism

For kids living with autism — and there are millions, if you consider 1 in 31 kids in the United States are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — life can have extra challenges. 

Yet, one challenge is often overlooked. Nearly half of kids with ASD have trouble with vision, according to a study presented by the Autism Research Institute.

At DeyeNAMICS, our extensive team of neuro-optometry specialists knows how autism can affect the brain-eye connection and vision. We also know how tricky it can be to diagnose and treat these issues in kids with ASD. But we’re more than up to the task, thanks to our own experience and expertise, as well as ongoing research in this arena.

Here, we explore some key benefits of pediatric neuro-optometry in kids with ASD.

Common Vision Issues in Kids with ASD

We mentioned a study which found that nearly half of kids with ASD have vision issues, and we want to expand on this to paint a clearer picture.

This study, which included kids across the spectrum, found that slightly more than 48% of those in the study had refractive errors, with farsightedness and astigmatism leading the way.

More than 15% of participants had strabismus, meaning their eyes don’t always point in the same direction. There are different types of strabismus, and exotropia was found to be the most common among kids with ASD. Exotropia involves one or both eyes turning outward.

Finally, less than 1% of kids who were studied had nystagmus, which involves rapid and uncontrolled eye movements but can degrade overall clarity of vision.

These issues can lead to straight vision issues as well as issues with visual processing, spatial processing, and central and peripheral vision.

Diagnosing Vision Problems in Children with ASD

If you’re reading this, you likely know a bit about ASD. Some of the defining characteristics of autism include a lack of eye contact and a tendency to look past objects, which can make it more challenging to isolate and identify vision issues, especially if the child is also non-verbal. These behaviors are very telling as to how your child uses their visual system.

Here at DeyeNAMICS, we meet these challenges with a range of innovative diagnostic testing practices to evaluate your child’s vision, not just the overall health of their eyes. And you might be surprised to see how identifying and remedying a vision issue, such as eye tracking, can help your child better navigate the world around them.

How Neuro-Optometry can Improve Vision Issues in Kids with ASD

If we find that your child has a vision issue, neuro-optometry can address both eyesight and visual processing together.

Some of our treatments include:

• Specialized lenses, such as prism and tinted lenses
• Corrective lenses
• Neuro-Visual Postural Therapy™, which improves the brain-eye-body connection 
• Eye tracking exercises for strabismus and other binocular dysfunction
• Balance exercises

Again, we want to reiterate how resolving vision issues can improve performance, behavior, and development in kids with ASD.

Vision-Focused Support for You or Your Child with ASD

We strongly urge you to sit down with one of our neuro-optometrists to determine whether vision issues are creating a barrier for you or your child with ASD. If so, we can help them move forward and assist with functional vision goals.

Please contact us at one of our offices in Sacramento, Bellflower, or Valencia, California; Guilford, Connecticut; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; or Plano, Texas, to set up an appointment.