Annual General Meeting

August 14th-16th, 2020 - Ottawa, Ontario

Courses

Nancy Torgerson & Jared Torgerson, COVT

Visual Processing for a Lifetime of Learning

Have you ever seen through someone else’s eyes? Has anyone ever seen through yours? How do you know if what you’re seeing is “normal” or not?

How do we communicate this with patients and families? How do we teach patients of all ages and abilities to be intentional with their vision, and guide them towards taking an active role in their own visual process?

Learn to better communicate with patients, families, and your own team in order to build better understanding and engagement in Vision Therapy. Join us for interactive demonstrations of VT activities and visual evaluations, and how to modify for all skills and ages.

Session 1: Visual Processing for a Lifetime of Learning

OD/Vision Therapists:

Visual exam and processing assessment: seeing through a patient’s eye
Looking beyond numbers and norms through observation, engagement, inquiry and active listening
Understanding the visual struggle
Creating awareness and understanding with patient and family through analogy, demonstration and communication
After the visual assessment, what’s next?
Patient highlight: A Vision For Life

Session 2: Guiding Patients Toward Taking An Active Role In Their VT

OD track

Goal setting and possibilities
Teaching patients of all ages and abilities to be intentional with their vision process
Day 1 of VT: ready to learn?
What’s your learning style? Tapping in to clues from the visual and processing assessment
Starting with the visual basics
Unloading VT activities
Patient Highlight:A Father’s Perspective of How VT Made a Difference

Session 3: Hands On VT Activities: Regulating Attention

OD Track

VT activities to train sustained attention, alternating attention and simultaneous attention. Ex. Visual Motor Worksheets and Infinity Walk.
Learning to function in environments with “sensory clutter”.
Patient Highlight: It Helps When You Can Pay Attention

Session 4: Hands on VT Activities: Visualization and Memory, Time and Space

OD Track

VT activities to for those that have poor visualization skills, to learn how to harness and develop this skill for use in work, school and hobbies.
VT activities help guide lifetime learners on developing visual memory to be used when it would be more advantageous than auditory memory and to rely on auditory memory when it would be most advantageous.
VT activities to develop an understanding of time and space through the use of the metronome and rhythm
Patient Highlight: I Thought That Would Be Cheating

Session 5: Hands on VT Activities: Visualization and Memory, Time and Space

Vision Therapist Track

VT activities to for those that have poor visualization skills, to learn how to harness and develop this skill for use in work, school and hobbies.
VT activities help guide lifetime learners on developing visual memory to be used when it would be more advantageous than auditory memory and to rely on auditory memory when it would be most advantageous.
VT activities to develop an understanding of time and space through the use of the metronome and rhythm
Patient Highlight: I Thought That Would Be Cheating

Session 6: Power of TEAM – Ending the Senseless Struggle And Igniting Lifetime Learning

OD/Vision Therapist TEAMS

The Power of Why
Elephants
Dream Big!

“Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes in the world come about. So be that person.” Buckminster Fuller

“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” Helen Keller

Linda Sanet

Goals:

“I should not like my words to spare other people the trouble of thinking. But, if possible, to stimulate someone to thoughts of their own.”

Ludwig Wittgenstein - Philosophical Investigations

Principles:

Piaget’s theory of child development as seen from the perspective of Dr. Harry Wachs
How to talk so children can learn (Ginott, Faber and Mazlish)
Growth mindset (Carol Dweck)

Therapist Stream:

Vision as a function of intelligence – the genius of Dr. Harry Wachs

Piaget’s investigations
Piagetian model in the Wachs framework of Vision Training
High level – low level thinking
Concept versus Content learning
Open Mind – Whole Mind
Parquetry activities

How to talk so children can learn (Ginott, Faber and Mazlish)

Amy Chua – “nothing is fun until you are good at it.” Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
Dr. Haim Ginott – “my personal approach creates the climate”
How to Talk So Children Can Learn (Faber and Mazlish)
Criticism, praise, self-esteem - praise that doesn’t demean, criticism that doesn’t wound
Problem Solving (interactive group participation)

Therapists and Optometrist individual streams:

Mindset – Carol Dweck

Growth mindset versus closed mindset
How praise can result in each type of mindset
Creating conditions for change
Communication and creating intrinsic motivation
Responsibility – Doctor, Therapist, and Patient

Therapist and Optometrist combined stream:

Mindset – Carol Dweck

Problem solving - interactive group participation

Linda Sanet

First Section : SAY IT !!!

This section is all about communication and how to properly use a format that will get your patients to sign up for VT during consultation appointments and for therapists to properly communicate the VT activities. Emphasis will also be placed on language and the importance of the use of words when communicating.

Second Section: Do IT !!!

This section is all about doing. Hands on activities on how to get your learning related patients moving forward, unstuck and grounded. The use of syntonics, binasals, primitive reflexes and some wonderful technology will be used. Combination of techniques will be discussed to make your sessions faster and more efficient. You will be expected to bring equipment for this section and an equipment package is being compiled by sponsors if you do not already have the materials.

Third Section: Energize IT !!!

This section is going to review how to use proper mindset for success in the VT room. How to project your patient’s goals, your goals, and the parents’ goals properly. How to keep yourself as both the doctor and therapist healthy so you can continue to be present for your patients. This will energize you and your patients and will prevent burn out. Techniques will include how to help your patients with anxiety, confidence, and belief.

Speaker Bios

Nancy Torgerson

Dr. Nancy Torgerson’s passion is to help those that struggle needlessly in school, work, sports and/or life because of visual difficulties. Those that are gifted are many times overlooked because they are able to make it by in spite of hidden visual problems. She works extensively with children and adults who have challenges in learning or vision information processing, special needs and/or brain injuries.

Alderwood Vision Therapy Center, in Lynnwood, Washington celebrated its 30th year of serving patients in the Seattle area in 2014. With an emphasis in developmental and rehabilitative optometry and vision therapy, her practice strives to live up to its motto of “Transforming Lives Through Vision”. Her team of vision therapists, patient care coordinators and doctors love the challenges that come with treating children and adults with learning related vision problems and special needs. Alderwood Vision Therapy has a satellite office in Redmond, Washington collaborating with pediatric ophthalmology.

Dr. Torgerson is a graduate of Pacific University’s College of Optometry and is a Fellow and past President of the international College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD). She has been the chairman of the Washington State Board of Optometry and the Optometric Extension Program’s National Chairman of Regional Clinical Seminars. She has received numerous awards for her work, including COVD’s Presidents Award and Outstanding Young Woman in America Award and 2015 Optometrist of the Year by the Optometric Physician of Washington State. An adjunct professor at Pacific University College of Optometry, and Western Optometry School, she is a frequent lecturer and consultant to educators, rehabilitation and therapy providers, sports teams and other eye care professionals.

Linda Sanet

Linda holds an A.S. degree in Art and Science from Westchester Community College and a B.A. degree in Philosophy (magna cum laude) from The New College of Hofstra University. She was awarded a Certificate of Clinical Proficiency from the State University of New York College of Optometry and Optometric Center of New York, and holds Certification as a Vision Therapist from the College of Optometrists in Vision Development. She is a past Assistant Director of the Optometric Extension Program Foundation Division of Paraoptometrics, and serves on the Journal Review Board of the journal, Optometry and Visual Performance. She has recently completed a 6-year term on the International Examination and Certification Board (IECB) of COVD.

Linda has lectured both nationally and internationally, and her publications have been translated into Italian and Spanish. For two years she served as Professor of Vision Therapy at the Centro de Optometría Internacional, in Madrid, Spain, and has worked in the Vision Therapy clinic at Domus Nova, Ravenna, Italy. She has served as a volunteer and translator for the Healthy Athletes “Opening Eyes” program of Special Olympics. She is currently a Vision Therapist at the Centro de Optometría Pilar Vergara in Albacete, Spain.

Linda has been awarded The Lora McGraw Award for Outstanding Achievement, Commitment, and Contribution to Developmental Optometry, The Jewel Young Award, and was the first recipient of the C.O.V.D. Certified Optometric Vision Therapist of the Year Award. In 2007 she was awarded the COVD President’s Award, and in 2016 BOAF’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Patricia Fink

Dr. Fink is a graduate of the New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA (1995). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the McMaster University in Hamilton, ON (1991). She has been in private practice for over 24 years. Her passion in vision therapy led her to make in-office vision therapy a prominent part of her practice.

Dr. Fink’s vision therapy education includes all curriculum courses from the OEP as well as completing her FCOVD (2014). Dr. Fink is the first Canadian to be called to the OEP Board of Directors and is actively involved with international vision therapy education at ICBO, KISS, and CCVC. Dr. Fink is also one of the founders of the non-profit Canadian National Vision Therapy Group COVT&R (Canadian Optometrists in Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation).

Dr. Fink offers her Vision Therapy space at no charge to host lectures to permit affordable education to more Canadian doctors. She was instrumental in acquiring the Vision Therapist Accreditation program for Canada via the Australasian College of Behavioural Optometrists. Spreading vision therapy across Canada for the benefits it provides to patients is of paramount importance to Dr. Fink.

Dr. Fink is involved in lecturing for different groups which include Eye Recommend, The Ontario Association of Optometrists, Behavioral Optometry Academy Foundation and individual Allied Health Professional Associations. Dr. Fink is also a certified coach and mentors doctors, therapists, and patients with this unique skill set.

Dr. Fink also has certifications as a Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, Huna Energy, and Limbic Balance Method (emotional healing). These add depth and variety to her vision therapy treatments.

Her main directive is to enlighten practitioners, parents and educators about the benefits of vision therapy in remediating and enhancing, as well as preventing issues stemming from the visual system.