Josh's Eye Doctor
We went back to the eye Dr. without the kids this time. He told us a lot about Josh that gave us answers, finally. He doesn't need glasses. He's color blind. He has problems reading silenlty because his brain hasn't learned how to make his eyes focus on the words for long periods of time. After a while, the words look blurry, or double. He said that Josh is very smart, because he learned how to get around that. He reads out loud, which is easier on the brain. He hears it, and that's how his brain retained the information. That's why when he gets into the older grades, he'll have to start reading silently, with no pictures. He will begin to hate reading. It will give him headaches, or make him sleepy. He also has motor problems, large and small. His trunk area hasn't developed, which makes him squirmy and figdety when sitting. That makes it hard for him to write neatly. Which explains the messy handwriting. The Dr. asked me when Josh started crawling. I said very late, 10 months old. But he didn't just start crawling. I had to be on the ground with him, and make his legs and arms move the way they were supposed to. The Dr. said that I was doing physical therapy, like they do for Autistic kids. They don't learn how to crawl or walk on their own. They need to be trained. That's what I was doing, and I didn't even know it. He said that it was very good that I made him crawl first before he walked. The Dr. said he did these tests for motor skills. He had Josh stand up with his hands against the wall. He ran his finger down Josh's spine. Josh squirmed like he was being tickled. He said that should be an infant's response to that type of touch. An older kid should be able to stand there like nothing happened, without wiggling. He did another test where he told Josh to walk toward him, but to walk with his feet turned outward like a duck. Josh did it, but his hands did whatever his feet did. That's what babies do when they're learning how to walk. He said in Josh's brain, there's no separation above and below the waist. There should be but there isn't. We have to train his brain all of these things. He will learn them, but he has to go through motor therapy, and eye training. It will probably take 6 months or more. I have to take him to therapy once a week in Torrance, and do certain motor excersises every day with him for 30 to 40 minutes. This will be worth it in the long run. Josh will love to read, out loud or silently. He'll be able to write neatly, without squirming. He'll be able to do sports without feeling awkward. He'll be able to look into someone's eyes. He won't be as frustrated. He'll probably still have his little obsessions, like mexico, and foxes. I can deal with that.