Symptoms

There are many symptoms that people with CI may experience. Many are observable by a teacher, parent, or friend, but some can only be observed by the person with CI. For information on what someone with CI may experience when reading, click here.

Eyestrain
Headaches
Tired, sore eyes
Difficulty concentrating on reading and close tasks (i.e. reading, computer work, desk work, playing video games, doing crafts, etc.)
Sleepiness
Poor sports performance
Difficulty in catching a ball
Frequent loss of place or mistakenly re-reading the same line of text
Avoidance of near work or reading
Difficulty tracking moving objects
Dizziness or motion sickness
Loss of comprehension after short periods of reading or performing close activities

Signs of CI at school:

Performs below potential
Trouble staying focused on homework
Moves head back and forth while reading (instead of moving eyes)
Poor concentration
Misaligns letters or numbers
Avoidance of near work such as reading
Unusual posture
Whispers to self when reading
Difficulty copying from the board
Poor eye hand coordination
Loses place when reading or uses finger to keep place
Squinting, eye rubbing, or excessive blinking while reading and writing
Homework takes hours when it shouldn’t
Short attention span, quickly bored, day dreams, doesn’t pay attention
Becomes easily distracted
Low comprehension of written material
Can read but chooses not to
Light sensitivity after reading
Child is often labeled as “unmotivated”, “distractible” or “lazy”
Turning or tilting of head when reading
Fatigues easily after reading
Poor attention skills/ ADD or ADHD