Developing Your Child for Success

by Kenneth A. Lane, O.D.

Learning Potentials Publishers, Inc.

Dr. Lane has written this book based upon years of work in vision therapy. In the first chapter, he explains the many factors involved in the reading process (in fairly technical language). Next, he explains how we can help children develop perceptual motor skills for reading success. The remainder of the book is divided into eight sections of activities, each focusing on a developmental area. Activities are arranged according to level of difficulty so that parents can begin at easy levels, then work up to more complex levels. A list of materials and equipment needed for the exercises is included. (The most expensive item is probably a small trampoline.)

The author does not recommend that this book be used as a substitute for professional evaluation. However, he outlines a very comprehensive program covering a multitude of activities that are generally recommended for overcoming various learning disabilities. Parents could work through the activities with their children without professional assistance.

Comprehensive explanations and illustrations of activities, and the fact that no special tools are required make this a practical resource. However, in this book there are few tools to help identify problem areas and no differentiation of therapy programs according to individual needs. Instead, all children should do all of the exercises. A book such as How to Identify Your Child’s Learning Problems and What to do About Them might be useful in helping to pinpoint problem areas if you are unable to afford professional evaluation.

Dr. Lane has also developed a reasonably-priced diagnostic program. Parents can administer a developmental test to their child that Dr. Lane then grades, or he can screen children through diagnostic software.

Dr. Lane has also developed five workbooks that can be used as part of a total perceptual program to work on specific areas. Workbook titles are Recognition of Reversals, Spelling Tracking, Visual Tracing, Visual Scanning, and Visual Memory. (Check with the publisher for current prices.)

Dr. Lane offers even more assistance. He says, “To further help parents, I am also offering a daily lesson plan. Depending on the diagnosis from the computer screen or the developmental test battery, I can write out a daily lesson plan that will give them five activities to do a day for six months. These activities are taken from my workbooks and Developing Your Child for Success.”