A Gift of Sight: Visual Perception Treatment for Autistic Children

Autism effects every child differently, so it is difficult to find the precise treatments your child needs to cope with his or her symptoms. One thing that effects some autistic children (though, not all) is problems with visual perception. By using some standardised methods to help improve visual perception, you can give your child the power to discover the world more clearly, making learning and comprehension easier and perhaps controlling some behavior problems too.

Autistic children primarily have problems with sensory overload and distortion. These are some of similar troubles many people not suffering from the disorder develop, and so many treatment alternatives have become available. Individuals with autism often feel, however, that the sensory overload of the world due to light, colors, contrast, shapes, and patterns, is too much to handle, causing them to act out or shut down as a whole. This is occasionally a genetic condition that is simply enhanced by the autism, so if the child's parents have difficulty with reading or have been otherwise treated for visual perceptive troubles, there's a good possibility that the child needs help too.

The Irene Method is one good way to address visual perception disorders. This technique uses color to make a more harmonized world. You may have heard of these methods if anyone has ever suggested using a color filter over the page when reading to be able to read better and more speedily. This method is proven to work, and if your autistic child is at the maturity level of reading, you may want to try these color filters to see if there is a difference in speed and comprehension. However, it is more likely that your autistic child will benefit from color filters during the entire day, not just when reading. Special glasses have been made using colored lenses to overcome this problem. Not every child reacts the same way to every color, so it is a process of trial and error to determine which color is the one blocking the harmful light. You can also opt to use colored light bulbs in your home to aid autistic individuals with their visual perception problems.

This method primarily helps children in 4 areas: depth perception, social interaction, learning, and physical well being. The colors help the child ascertain how far he or she is from an object, and the world becomes more three-dimensional, helping depth perception. Social interaction also improves because the child feels as if he or she is in a calmer world and can more clearly see and read facial expressions. The colors make it possible to learn, particularly when reading, and overall, the child will feel better, because it helps cut down headaches and giddiness. By testing this method and others to help visual perception problems, you can help your child better cope with the world and his or her autism.

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