The diagnosis and treatment of early learning problems and their relation to visual development is the subject of a series of 12 articles. The optometric viewpoint expressed is that vision is learned. A child's method of organizing his world, and manifestations of his disorganized behavior, including poor early academic achievement, probably…

The relationship between visual and auditory performance and reading achievement came under scrutiny in this study. It was thought that both poor and average readers would perform better on auditory tasks than on visual ones but that this discrepancy would be considerably greater for the poor or retarded reader. Seventy-two children from grades 1,…

An instrument used to assist teachers in the prescription of appropriate print size for the partially sighted student, the Teacher's Evaluation for Low Vision Needs, was field-tested for reliability with 54 legally blind and partially sighted students (7-14 years old) who used large print books. (Author/DLS)

Although several vision screening techniques are available for infants, none is routinely used. Visual deficits are often first detected through required preschool vision screenings, which vary in their comprehensiveness. No standardization for testing or administration exists. Some of the testing procedures used may have inappropriately high…

Seventeen visually impaired children, aged 7-11 years, were compared with sighted children on a test of facial recognition and a test of expression identification. The visually impaired children were less able to recognize faces successfully but showed no disadvantage in discerning facial expressions such as happiness, anger, surprise, or fear.…

Lecture given before the Annual Conference and Course on Reading (23d, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., July 10-21, 1967).

The results of Minnesota's mandated screening program show the importance of combining health and developmental screening findings and the limitations of focusing on special education-related problems. Mandated, comprehensive health screening programs can be economically and effectively implemented in the public school system. (JD)

This study found that, of 18 children with severe visual and multiple impairments assessed using the Acuity Card Procedure (originally developed for assessing the visual acuity of infants), 42 percent responded. A similar group received a simple instructional intervention prior to testing and that group's response rate was 85 percent. (Author/DB)

The Low Vision Service of Perkins School for the Blind (Massachusetts) developed a model project to provide comprehensive vision evaluations and follow-up services to 169 children with dual sensory impairments throughout New England. This article describes the project's objectives, the population served, and the procedures for implementing…

A vision screening program established at a facility for 271 individuals with severe or profound mental retardation used the acuity card procedure as its measure. The procedure was found to be a valid and reliable screening tool for this population. A few residents had good visual acuities, whereas the acuities of others were poor. (JDD)

We addressed the hypothesis that word segmentation based on statistical regularities occurs without the need of attention. Participants were presented with a stream of artificial speech in which the only cue to extract the words was the presence of statistical regularities between syllables. Half of the participants were asked to passively listen…

Studies have suggested attention-free semantic processing of natural scenes in which concurrent tasks leave category detection unimpaired (e.g., F. Li, R. VanRullen, C. Koch, & P. Perona, 2002). Could this ability reflect detection of disjunctive feature sets rather than high-level binding? Participants detected an animal target in a rapid serial…

Florida students being considered for special programs for visually impaired students must be assessed to determine the appropriate mode of reading. The assessment occurs as part of an initial evaluation for eligibility and is usually part of the functional vision observation. The determined mode of reading is to be addressed on the Individual…

THE AMERICAN OPTICAL (AO) COMPANY'S SIGHT SCREENER, A PORTABLE BINOCULAR INSTRUMENT DESIGNED FOR MASS VISION TESTING, WAS EVALUATED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND READING AND STUDY SKILLS LABORATORY TO DETERMINE ITS CAPACITY TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS NEEDING PROFESSIONAL EYE EXAMINATIONS PRIOR TO READING INSTRUCTION. DATA FROM 106 PROBATIONARY FRESHMEN,…

This study investigates the differences between the auditory-visual integration ability of 80 sixth grade students when such variables as socioeconomic status, sex, intelligence, conservation ability, and reading achievement were controlled. Socioeconomic Strata were determined by Hollingshead's Four Factor Index of Social Position. The California…