On December 23, 2011, Gabriel went to a developmental optometrist. He had an extrensive exam done. It was interested to watch him during the tests especially tracking while he was reading numbers. It's an expensive test, costing $350 out of pocket. We will be lucky if $100 of that is covered by insurance.
Andrew and I went back in January to discuss the results with the dr. We found out that Gabriel has three more conditions. He has: convergence insufficiency, ocular motor dysfunction, and visual perceptual dsyfunction.
It is shocking how much is "wrong" with Gabriel. As if a heart condition and autism isn't enough, he deals with severe sensory processing disorder and hypotonia. Yet, he has such a strong self-esteeem and sweet personality. He rarely complains about these difficult conditions.
The dr recommended 6 months of visual therapy which will cost close to $5000, involve a 45 minute drive to and from the office, and daily activities at home. It's no wonder special needs children don't participate in extra cirricular activities. How can the average family afford extra activities or find the time for them when they face things like this?
I need to ask for more academic and testing accomodations for him at school. I'm sure they will be thrilled to add these to his long list of accomodations needed for him to succeed. (please note the sarcasm)
