Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits after Acquired Brain Injury (2-Day Course)

May 14 and May 16, 2022
8:30 am to 3:30 pm each day

Live Online
Participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Course Description
This two-day course is designed to help therapists develop a comprehensive understanding of vision deficits commonly associated with acquired brain injury.  Included will be the most common vision disorders and basic pathologies of the visual system, as well as their functional implications. A three-component model of vision will be presented stressing the importance of optical, visual efficiency and visual information processing disorders.  A screening battery that allows therapists to test for the most common vision problems will be presented.  Treatment options will be discussed at length including both compensatory strategies and rehabilitative techniques (vision therapy).  Details will be provided about establishing a vision rehabilitation service for both inpatient and outpatient services.

Target Audience
This course is designed for therapists and assistants (occupational, physical, speech) who work with patients with acquired brain injury.

Course Schedule
For the first day of the course, the audience is combined to include all registrants (pediatrics and ABI). The information on Day One (May 14) is identical for the two groups.  However, Day Two is specialized for either pediatrics (May 15) or ABI (May 16).  Some attendees will attend two days in a row, others will have one day off between the two sessions.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the complexity of the visual system
• Identify the three major components of the visual system
• Describe how various vision deficits affect performance in play, learning, and sports
• Administer a screening battery to identify common vision disorders that can affect therapy
• Understand the various treatment approaches available
• Plan and implement compensatory strategies to manage vision problems interfering with therapy
• Plan and implement direct intervention to manage vision problems interfering with therapy

Speaker Biography

Dr. Mitchell Scheiman is a nationally known optometric educator, lecturer, author and private practitioner.  He is the author of Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits: A Guide for Occupational Therapists and Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Guide for Occupational Therapists published by Slack Incorporated.  Dr. Scheiman has a long and close relationship with occupational and physical therapists.  He has worked closely with occupational and physical therapists in his practice co-managing patients and has lectured to therapists on numerous occasions.

He has specialized in vision therapy for the past 46 years.  Dr. Scheiman is currently Dean of Research at Salus University.  He has written four books for optometrists covering the topics of binocular vision and vision therapy, pediatric optometry, and learning related vision problems and he has published over 220 articles in the professional literature.  He is a Diplomate in Binocular Vision and Perception and a Fellow in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.