You may have read every parenting book, blog, or forum post from your local mom for every difficulty your child may have, but chances are your child only represents a small part of what comes your way. That said, when your child undergoes a psychological or educational evaluation, whether in a school, clinic, or private practice setting, it is her job to ask questions related to your child.

The most important thing is to ask questions beyond what the data or general “norms” suggest.

I say this because although psychologists are trained to observe how a child’s behaviors present themselves throughout the test and account for them along with their skills and abilities, visual processing and behavioral observations are often overlooked. during these very informative moments. Unfortunately, this does not happen because of psychologist negligence, but because psychologists are not trained to detect visual processing problems beyond what the scores present.

Usually it is the parent who asks the psychologist “have you ever heard of vision therapy?” and “do you think my son needs this?” Visual processing issues can present themselves in many ways throughout testing. If you are a parent who has tested your child before or will test your child in the future, you will likely hear/see abbreviated terms for the testing materials used. Some of the most widely used tests are WISC-V, WPPSI, WJ-IV, Bender-Gestalt II, GORT-5, GSRT, and WIAT-III, which assess cognitive abilities, visual-motor integration, and academic performance (reading, writing, and math). On each of these measures, your child may score below average — your provider will spend some time discussing this, and if your child scores average, he or she will likely make progress during any type of feedback unless you stop it. However, you should ask how your child’s work processes went. By asking these questions, you will know whether or not you should seek vision therapy or ask more about your child’s visual processing.

Here are some suggestions I would recommend asking the tester:

During the test, my son…

Work close to the page

Having difficulty copying items (i.e. investing or exerting too much energy)

Seems to slow down or spend more time rereading parts of larger passages

Write words that exhibited inverted letters

Fatigue during reading tasks.

Show lip biting or excessive mouth movements while reading

Express complaints when tackling reading/writing tasks

Skip lines when reading aloud

Reads words accurately but shows minimal comprehension.

Writing sentences with little spacing or ‘floating’ letters off the line

Do not pay attention to mathematical sign changes

Exhibit minimal organization in tasks, both spatially and verbally

Has difficulty following multi-step directions

Has difficulty self-control during tasks

Have a short attention span for particular tasks.

Exhibit lack of fluency in timed tasks

It’s important to ask these questions because they are all signs of vision-related difficulties that can cause your child to put extra effort or strain on the eyes, which often go unrecognized. Regardless of your child’s performance on these measures, it is by understanding her behavior throughout the test that you will be able to detect visual processing issues and the need for vision therapy. Remember, you are your child’s best expert witness!