Oculomotor Theory and Programming Flashcards
Remember, what are the three phases where most of your VT program falls
monocular, bi-ocular/anti-suppression, and binocular
What are the activities in phase three?
monocular accommodation activities and monocular oculomotor activities
What are the activities in phase four?
bi-ocular/anti-suppression accommodative and oculomotor activities, anti-suppression/basic fusion
What are the activities in phase five?
binocular accommodation and oculomotor activities and fusion therapy activities
What does orientation of the body in space entail?
major muscle groups lead and smaller muscle groups supplement
Oculomotor refinement allows…
vision to join in the process of movement and exploration
What is the primary purpose of the visual system?
derivation of meaning and the direction of action
T/F oculomotor problems often coexist with visual perceptual deficits
true
What other sensory systems do we get aid from?
proprioceptive and kinesthetic
What is developmental OMD?
poor body coordination leading to poor eye coordination
What are signs of a delay in developmental OMD development?
developmental delays, clumsy, abnormal, developmental milestones, letter/number reversals, poor laterality and directionality
What is laterality?
R and L on self, concept of two halves of the body
What is directionality?
R and L in space, understanding of whether an object is to the left or right of another, involved in spatial relationships… therefore reading, math, etc
What tests indicate possible developmental OMD delays?
fails “ability” on maples NSUCO, excessive body movement, head/neck movement
What are two steps of developmental OMD therapy?
work on gross motor first, improve rhythm
What are gross motor activities?
army crawl, balance board, walking rail, motor equivalent/chalkboard circles, handball, bunting
How does laterality develop?
infant develops ability to use sides independently, eventually one side becomes dominant and the other takes on a supporting role
How is laterality/directionality used with oculomotor therapy?
incorporate of a gross motor component with eye movements (point in direction of target) and include eye-hand coordination (catching with a specific hand)
What is eye tracking used for?
to find and fixate a target, precursor to accommodation and binocularity
T/F oculomotor therapy is done in the early stages of all VT programs?
true
What is functional OMD?
poor eye tracking skills with normal gross/fine motor and normal developmental milestones (no developmental delays)
What tests identify functional OMD?
normal ability on Maples NSUCO, minimal body movement, possibility for head movement, poor accuracy
What does functional OMD therapy entail?
begin therapy working with fixation, move to saccades, then pursuits, monocular –> bi-ocular–> binocular, large saccades –> small saccades, small pursuits –> large pursuits
What is the goal of functional OMD therapy?
to make oculomotor function more efficient; less cognitive energy on tracking means more energy can be spent on the task at hand
What are eyes only saccades?
saccades smaller than 30 degrees
What do saccades greater than 30 degrees involve?
associated head/torso/body movements
What is the basic order of oculomotor therapy?
large to small saccades, fewer targets to more targets, small to large pursuits
What comes first, accuracy or speed?
accuracy
What happens after working on accuracy?
eliminate head and body movement, enhance speed and length of activity
What is higher level oculomotor therapy?
accuracy of fine movements, increased visual span
What is the goal for body movement in oculomotor therapy?
decrease body movement to allow eyes to move free of the rest of the body
Fixations…
eyes steady, body steady, head steady
Saccades and pursuits…
no body movement/swaying, no motor overflow, only eyes are moving
What are three strategies to provide awareness of body movement to the patient?
mirror, therapist feedback (verbal or physical), and phone apps
What is the goal for head movements?
decrease head/neck movement to allow eyes to move free of the head/body
How can you provide feedback to the patient for head movement?
kinesthetic (bean bag on head, balance board), visual (mirror), auditory (therapist reminders and biofeedback
What is the goal for speed?
improve the speed with which the patient can perform saccades and pursuits, but stay accurate while quick (as appropriate)
What are tips for improving speed?
use a metronome, start slower then increase speed, DO NOT compromise accuracy for speed!, remind patient to be aware of blur, diplopia, skipping words etc
How do you make oculomotor therapy easier?
isolate the target, allow the patient to touch the target, larger target, slower target, decreased time on task
How do you make oculomotor therapy harder?
more targets, smaller spacing between targets, do not allow patient to use finger, smaller targets, faster targets, increased time on task
What must you identify for saccades?
must be able to identify beginning and ending points and have to get there accurately
What are reading implications for saccades?
must know where the eyes are currently fixation and must have attention window large enough to place next saccade accurately
What are intermediate activities?
chalkboard double Os, circle/line jumping, bead stringing, block stacking, slap tap, rotator circles, rotator tees
What are fine motor activities?
drawing/coloring, line tracing, mazes, letter tracking, puzzles
T/F you should spread out your activities over the major visual skills
true, accommodative, oculomotor, gross motor
T/F do mostly binocular first
false, monocular
T/F you should take the patient’s age into account
true
T/F you need to leave time to talk to parents and explain home activities
true, just don’t give a new activity for home reinforcement
