THE UNDERACHIEVING CHILD

Visual factors in specific learning difficulties (SpLD) are reviewed. People with SpLD fail to achieve at a level that is commensurate with their intelligence. The commonest SpLD is dyslexia, which usually resu lts from phonological processing/decoding deficits. Additionally, ther e are several optometric correlates of SpLD which may, in some cases, contribute to the learning difficulty. These correlates include binocu lar instability and a low amplitude of accommodation. Some people with reading difficulties and perceptual distortions/eyestrain can be help ed by individually prescribed coloured filters. A visual processing an omaly is also often present in the form of a deficit of the transient visual system. The role of the optometrist is discussed. (C) 1998 The College of Optometrists. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.