An Introduction to Functional Vision Screening and the Implications for Intervention in Pediatric Physical Therapy

Vision affects all aspects of a child's participation in daily activities. While pediatric therapists may comment on whether a child can see objects in their environment, they are not consistently considering visual challenges in all three component areas in their evaluation and/or treatment plans. This deficiency of visual information could be because of lack of knowledge regarding: 1. the three components of pediatric vision 2. how to screen for visual deficits in the pediatric population 3. how to refer to the appropriate provider should visual deficits be suspected in their pediatric clients 4. the implications visual deficits can have on motor performance and achievement of intervention goals with their pediatric clients. Untreated, undocumented vision problems can limit a child’s independence with daily tasks and interfere with the child’s progress toward the goals being addressed in physical therapy. Because more complete consideration of the visual system when evaluating and treating pediatric clients can improve patient outcomes, this informational session covers the three component model of pediatric vision, screening measures for each component of pediatric vision, what to do if disruptions in any of the three areas of vision are suspected and the implications of visual deficits on achieving physical therapy outcomes.