Sensory screening, such as vision and hearing screening tests, are important for young children. Difficulties with vision, hearing, and speech can have a negative impact on your child’s learning ability if left unidentified and untreated.
Up to 25% of school-age children are currently suffering from vision problems. According to the National Commission on Vision and Health, these problems could have been easily identified with early detection screening prior to the child entering school.
Having trained specialists perform sensory testing in schools enables these children to undergo the vision screening and other sensory tests they need. Below are some of the most common reasons why vision screening in schools can help care for student needs.
- Professional detection
Parents often take their child to eye doctors only when they begin to notice a change in their child’s behavior. Changes such as squinting or failing grades may make a parent aware of vision difficulties. However, if the child doesn’t exhibit any symptoms, their eye problems may go undetected for years. Trained specialists can help detect these problems early on so they can be corrected.
- Reduced risk of permanent damageVision disorders that go untreated in young children have been proven to cause permanent eye damage later in life. Eye impairments such as astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, anisometropia, strabismus, and amblyopia may permanently affect a child’s eyes if they’re left untreated before the age of five.
- Better treatment optionsAs with most impairments or illnesses, early detection can improve the number of treatment options available as well as the chances of the treatment working effectively.
- Children get a voiceYoung children aren’t always able to convey to their parents that they’re having difficulties hearing or seeing. This is because, at such a young age, they’re children are unaware of what clear vision looks like. Additionally, children may not notice their vision problems because they don’t involve pain and are therefore easily unnoticeable until detected by a trained professional.
Parents aren’t always aware that their children need vision screening. Without early detection, these impairments could cause permanent damage to children’s eyes and have a negative effect on their learning abilities. For more information on providing sensory screening for the students in your school, contact United Testing Service today.
