Lecture on Ocular Motor Skills and Practice Management

Introduction

• Initial Questions:
  • What is FIM? Unclear, but relevant to neurodiversity seminar.
  • Issues with continuing services for children without available county support.
  • Suggestions include flexible pricing and utilizing scholarships like the Speller Access Fund.

Pricing for Practitioners

• Typical Rates:
  • Newly graduated practitioners typically charge around $80-$90 per session.
  • More experienced professionals may charge between $115 and $125.
  • Flexibility in rates for lower-income families is an option.

Business and Service Strategies

• Discussion on business models post-graduation.
• Offering session packages for discounted rates as a strategy.
• Importance of balancing ethical practice with financial sustainability.

Seminar on Ocular Motor

Presenter: Caitlin Ballou

• Focus: Understanding ocular motor skills, their impact on spellers, and possible interventions.

Key Topics

Ocular Motor System

• Part of the CNS, maintaining visual stability and controlling eye movements.
• Includes skills such as fixations, smooth pursuits, and saccades.

Types of Eye Movements

• Fixations: Holding gaze on a stable object, normal duration is 7 seconds or more.
• Pursuits: Tracking a moving object smoothly.
• Saccades: Quick movements between objects.

Stress Symptoms in Eye Movements

• Signs include eye rubbing, blinking, and inconsistent focus.

Eye Anatomy

• Involves cranial nerves related to eye movements.
• Muscles controlling eye movements (e.g., superior/inferior rectus, oblique muscles).

Binocular Vision

• Importance for 3D vision, depth perception.
• Issues can cause double vision, eye strain, and depth perception problems.

Research and Studies

• Discusses apraxia and ocular motor control in autism.
• Eye-tracking studies show genuine communication using letterboards.

Supporting Ocular Motor Skills

Practitioner's Role

• Use high contrast boards, visual prompts, and ensure proper lighting conditions.
• Conduct ocular motor screenings to refer clients to specialists as needed.

Dr. Amber Smith’s Presentation

• Methods for ocular motor testing: fixations, saccades, pursuits.
• Important to refer when abnormalities are noticed.

Activities for Enhancing Eye Skills

• Fixation Activities: Using rings or small targets to maintain focus.
• Saccades Activities: Using letter or number cards to practice quick eye movements.
• Pursuits Activities: Tracking moving objects like balls or toy cars.
• Tools: Metronomes or Blaze Pods for interactive exercises.

Additional Discussion Points

Issue Lessons

• Creating lessons to address specific issues faced by spellers.
• Example topics include cultural expressions through hair, or food sensitivities.

Housekeeping

• Reminders about clinical competency submissions and upcoming lessons.
• Encouragement to complete revisions promptly to avoid backlog.

Conclusion

• Encouragement to explore local vision therapy resources via covd.org.
• Final Q&A session for additional support and clarifications.