In the previous post I discussed the fact that there is much more to the visual process than seeing clearly. Seeing clearly is a wonderful thing, but without the rest of the visual process to back it up – to process information, generate thoughts and guide our actions – clear eyesight would have little purpose or excitement. The visual process enables us to orient our bodies in relation to gravity and in relation to what is going on around us at any given moment. It is the early warning system that alerts us to potential involvement with anyone or anything occupying our immediate vicinity. The visual process (hopefully) provides us with precise information about what is around us, what it means to us and what we might need or want to do with it. The visual process provides us with options for those interactions as well as the templates for those actions, which it then guides to completion.
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How is vision related to autism?
Children on the autism spectrum are very likely to have delays in visual development. This fact has not substantially penetrated mainstream public awareness. Perhaps more unfortunate, it remains ignored by most healthcare professionals. The development of the visual process goes hand in glove with overall development. Behavioral optometrists understand that visual development is fundamental to overall development.
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My Friend, Joe Romano
Joe Romano decided to focus on working with children on the autism spectrum after many years as a professional musician through the 1980s, then as a music teacher in various schools starting in the 1990s, as well as giving private lessons on several instruments. I met Joe Romano as a result of his work with my daughter. My daughter is not a special needs child, (now she's not even a child) but we were fortunate enough to find Joe through a homeschooling network at the time he was transitioning into working almost exclusively with special needs children (and adults).
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I’ve been waiting a long time for this moment. We’ve been working on this project for four years and it’s finally becoming a reality. I was originally invited to be part of The Kingdom of Should by my friend Joe Romano, a Developmental Music Therapist; he works almost exclusively with children on the autism spectrum. Joe is a truly unique individual, a rock-n-roll musician in the ’80s, he turned to teaching music privately and in schools in the ’90s. Then he decided to focus on working with children with special needs. I’m not aware of anyone else who provides the kind of therapy Joe does. Developmental music therapy is unique due to its integration of movement and the visual process using the connection he is able to make with children using the universal language of music. Most children with autism spectrum challenges are drawn to music and this gives Joe a way to engage with them.
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