by
Léa Laugeois, Orthoptist
A neurovisual assessment is a diagnostic examination useful in studying learning disabilities.
In children during the learning periods and up to the age of 21, problems with attention, reading, writing, copying, difficulties in performing daily tasks, learning disabilities, and spatial orientation difficulties are situations that require the intervention of medical and paramedical specialists.
The persistence of deficits may lead a neuropsychologist, speech therapist, or pediatrician to request further examinations.
The purpose of the neurovisual assessment is to analyze whether there is a disorder between the acquisition of visual information and its processing by the brain.
The ophthalmologist will first eliminate an organic cause.
In the case of neurovisual disorders, the strategy of using the gaze is affected.
[...] The orthoptist can carry out neurovisual reeducation.
The orthoptist will then analyze, through various tests, the way in which the brain processes the information received through visual stimulation in the performance of daily tasks.
The orthoptist will first focus on the child's ability to direct their gaze, then on their ability to detect, recognize, and identify what they observe, and finally on their ability to use their eyes to communicate and grasp visual information
around them in order to act and orient themselves correctly.
In the case of neurovisual disorders, the strategy of using the gaze is affected. Thus, the eye movements influenced by the brain no longer allow for effective use of vision.
Ultimately, in order to reduce the impact of the disorder on the child's learning, the orthoptist will determine if neurovisual reeducation is necessary. Sessions can be scheduled to implement strategies that allow for better organization of gestures, improved spatial orientation, better use of gaze and memory, improved communication, etc. This can enable the patient to be more effective in certain daily tasks and to find compensatory strategies for the various disorders discovered.