Specific learning disabilities affect the brain's ability to process verbal and non-verbal information efficiently and accurately. The most common learning disability is reading disability which includes dyslexia. Evidence supports that dyslexia is a language-based disorder. The core deficit of dyslexia is the phonological component of language…

The author traces the history of optometric vision training and its influences on academic performance and presents his views on the current controversy over the value of vision training for students with learning disabilities. He concludes with a list of approximately 50 references on the topic. (CL)

Describes Intermittent Central Suppression (ICS), a treatable eye malfunction that can make reading difficult. Reports that some students with ICS are not diagnosed through standard vision acuity tests and are misdiagnosed as learning disabled. Presents a study that found that students who were treated for ICS stayed in school longer than students…

The interview with G. N. Getman, a developmental optometrist specializing in learning problems and disabilities, focuses on vision's impact on learning, the role of the vision specialist in the remediation of learning problems and disabilities, early screening programs, and visual training programs. (DLS)