Visual Processing Disorders Research Articles

Hybrid weight optimized deep learning for autism and visual sensory processing disorder detection: A heuristic strategy on medical domain

An Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affected individual has several difficulties with social-emotional cues. The existing model is observed with emotional face processing in adolescents and ASD and Typical Development (TD) by utilizing various body parameters. Scanning facial expressions is the initial task, and recognizing the face’s sensitivity to different emotional expressions is the next complex task. To address this shortcoming, in this work, a new autism and visual Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) detection model for supporting healthcare applications by processing facial expressions and sensory data of heart rate and body temperature. Here, initially, the individual data regarding facial emotions and other body parameters like heart rate and body temperature are collected from various subjects. Then, the selection of optimal features is executed by a hybrid algorithm named Density Factor-based Artificial Bee Honey Badger Optimization (DF-ABHBO), where the most essential features are attained and fed to the detection phase. The optimal feature selection is made by resolving the fitness function with constraints like correlation, data variance, and cosine similarity for inter and intra-class. Finally, the autism and visual SPD detection are performed through a Hybrid Weight Optimized Deep Neural Recurrent Network (HWODNRN), where the hyperparameter and weights of “Deep Neural Network (DNN) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN)” are optimized with the developed DF-ABHBO technique. From the result analysis, the accuracy and F1-score rate of the offered DF-ABHBO-HWODNRN method have attained 96% and 93%. The findings obtained from the simulations of the designed system achieve better performance.

Determinants of Social Studies Curriculum Implementation by Teachers with Intellectual Disabilities in Selected Schools of Calabar South Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria: Implication for Psychology

Teachers with intellectual disabilities frequently have cognitive processing or perceptual problems. Visual processing problems interfere with understanding text, illustrations, and written work associated with a social studies lesson. Most social studies textbooks include many maps and graphs. For most teachers, these maps clarify the topics covered and those that should be covered as well; however, teachers with visual-spatial and visual-processing disorders may have difficulty interpreting such information. Hence, this study evaluated the factors that affected how the social studies curriculum was implemented by teachers with intellectual disabilities in a sample of schools in the Cross River State, Nigeria, Calabar South Local Government Area; implications for psychology. Two survey factors have been developed to guide the study. The variables under review were used to guide the literature review. The survey study's template was employed. Purposeful selection approaches were used to choose the 60 respondents that made up the study's sample. A structured questionnaire with 10 items and a four-point Likert scale was used to collect the results. Using the Cronbach Alpha reliability method, the instrument's approximate correlation was 0.78. The data was examined using a descriptive methodology. The findings of the study indicated that a teacher's teaching style and level of training among teachers with intellectual disabilities had an impact on how they instruct students in social studies. It was suggested that secondary school teachers with disabilities be given the opportunity to participate in curriculum development and implementation so that they can use student-centered methods in teaching.

Including visual orienting functions into cerebral visual impairment screening: Reliability, variability, and ecological validity

BackgroundCerebral visual impairment (CVI) is a heterogeneous brain-based visual processing disorder in which basic visual orienting functions (VOF) and higher-order perception can be impaired. AimsTo evaluate (1) the test-retest reliability and variability of an eye tracking-based VOF paradigm, and related clinical characteristics, and (2) the relations between VOF (variability) and daily visual functioning and visuoperceptual dimensions. Methods and proceduresThirty-three children with CVI (Males=14; mean age=9 years 10 months) underwent eye tracking thrice, completed a visuoperceptual battery, and parents completed the Flemish CVI questionnaire. VOF reliability and variability of reaction time (RTF), fixation duration and accuracy were assessed with intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), Bland-Altman plots, and coefficient of variation. Relations were analysed with linear mixed models. Outcomes and resultsHighly salient visual stimuli had good RTF reliability (ICCs=0.75) and triggered less variable VOF. Intermediate and low salience stimuli had poor-to-moderate reliability and triggered more variable VOF. Younger performance age related to more VOF variability. Greater visual (dis)interest, clutter and distance viewing impairments, and a weaker visuoperceptual profile related to slower RTF. Conclusions and implicationsHighly salient stimuli reveal a child’s ‘optimal’ visual performance, whereas intermediate and low salience stimuli uncover VOF variability, which is a key CVI hallmark to detect.

Disorders of higher visual processing in patients with acquired brain injury.

Disorders of higher visual processing often impact patients with acquired brain injury. Even with treatment, these vision conditions can cause chronic challenges for patients. Understanding these conditions and their management can help improve functional independence and quality of life. To discuss the various disorders of higher visual processing that result from acquired brain injury. Discussion to include classification, evaluation, and treatment techniques available to clinicians. Peer reviewed journal articles were searched, primarily through PubMed. Articles spanning several decades were included in the review for historical context of these conditions, however an emphasis was placed on more recent publications for purposes of a discussion regarding clinical management of these conditions. Peer-reviewed articles and clinical trials from across several disciplines were included to frame a discussion of this varied group of conditions. Visual processing disorders have debilitating impacts on both the rehabilitation process as well as functional independence. Varied approaches are utilized in the treatment of these conditions with limited success. Understanding the benefits and limitations of both restorative and compensatory treatments will better help clinicians manage patients with these conditions.

Widespread White Matter Alterations in Patients With Visual Snow Syndrome.

Background: Visual snow is considered a disorder of central visual processing resulting in a perturbed perception of constant binocular flickering or pixilation of the whole visual field. The underlying neurophysiological and structural alterations remain elusive.Methods: In this study, we included patients (final n = 14, five dropouts; five females, mean age: 32 years) with visual snow syndrome (VSS) and age- and sex-matched controls (final n = 20, 6 dropouts, 13 females, mean age: 28.2 years). We applied diffusion tensor imaging to examine possible white matter (WM) alterations in patients with VSS.Results: The patient group demonstrated higher (p-corrected < 0.05, adjusted for age and sex) fractional anisotropy (FA) and lower mean diffusivity (MD) and radial diffusivity (RD) compared to controls. These changes were seen in the prefrontal WM (including the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle), temporal and occipital WM, superior and middle longitudinal fascicle, and sagittal stratum. When additionally corrected for migraine or tinnitus—dominant comorbidities in VSS—similar group differences were seen for FA and RD, but less pronounced.Conclusions: Our results indicate that patients with VSS present WM alterations in parts of the visual cortex and outside the visual cortex. As parts of the inferior fronto-occipital fascicle and sagittal stratum are associated with visual processing and visual conceptualisation, our results suggest that the WM alterations in these regions may indicate atypical visual processing in patients with VSS. Yet, the frequent presence of migraine and other comorbidities such as tinnitus in VSS makes it difficult to attribute WM disruptions solely to VSS.

Supervising Learning Disability in Children through Ayurveda Therapy

Learning Disability (LD) is an invisible disability predictable by a few, afflicting many and causing high degree of impact. Since it has an important bearing on academic function, it carries high degree of distress in the Indian society where failure is offensive. A childhood disorder is written off by difficulty in certain skills such as reading or writing in child with normal intelligence. It can be lifetime conditions that, in some cases, affect many parts of a children's life: school or work, daily routines, family life, and sometimes even friendships and play. In some people, many overlying learning disabilities may be apparent. Other people may have a single, remote learning problem that has little impact on other areas of their lives. This paper illustrates the various types of learning disability, symptoms and the root cause. Various effective Ayurveda treatments for learning disability are proposed here. Aim of this paper is to elaborate the role and benefits of Ayurveda in the society. Now days, Ayurveda is playing an important role both in physical and mental health.&#x0D; Keywords: Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Auditory Processing Disorders, Visual Processing Disorders, Ayurveda Treatment.

Event-Related Potentials Elicited by Face and Face Pareidolia in Parkinson's Disease.

Background Parkinson's disease is associated with impaired ability to recognize emotional facial expressions. In addition to a visual processing disorder, a visual recognition disorder may be involved in these patients. Pareidolia is a type of complex visual illusion that permits the interpretation of a vague stimulus as something known to the observer. Parkinson's patients experience pareidolic illusions. N170 and N250 waveforms are two event-related potentials (ERPs) involved in emotional facial expression recognition. Objective In this study, we investigated how Parkinson's patients process face and face-pareidolia stimuli at the neural level using N170, vertex positive potential (VPP), and N250 components of event-related potentials. Methods To examine the response of face and face-pareidolia processing in Parkinson's patients, we measured the N170, VPP, and N250 components of the event-related brain potentials in a group of 21 participants with Parkinson's disease and 26 control participants. Results We found that the latencies of N170 and VPP responses to both face and face-pareidolia stimuli were increased along with their amplitudes, and the amplitude of N250 responses decreased in Parkinson's patients compared to the control group. In both control and Parkinson's patients, face stimuli generated greater ERP amplitude and shorter latency in responses than did face-pareidolia stimuli. Conclusion The results of our study showed that ERPs associated with face and also face-pareidolia stimuli processing are changed in early-stage neurophysiological activity in the temporoparietal cortex of Parkinson's patients.

Visual snow syndrome: a review on diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment.

Visual snow is considered a disorder of central visual processing resulting in a perturbed perception of constant bilateral whole-visual field flickering or pixelation. When associated with additional visual symptoms, it is referred to as visual snow syndrome. Its pathophysiology remains elusive. This review highlights the visual snow literature focusing on recent clinical studies that add to our understanding of its clinical picture, pathophysiology, and treatment. Clinical characterization of visual snow syndrome is evolving, including a suggested modification of diagnostic criteria. Regarding pathophysiology, two recent studies tested the hypothesis of dysfunctional visual processing and occipital cortex hyperexcitability using electrophysiology. Likewise, advanced functional imaging shows promise to allow further insights into disease mechanisms. A retrospective study now provides Class IV evidence for a possible benefit of lamotrigine in a minority of patients. Scientific understanding of visual snow syndrome is growing. Major challenges remain the subjective nature of the disease, its overlap with migraine, and the lack of quantifiable outcome measures, which are necessary for clinical trials. In that context, refined perceptual assessment, objective electrophysiological parameters, as well as advanced functional brain imaging studies, are promising tools in the pipeline.

Insights into pathophysiology and treatment of visual snow syndrome: A systematic review.

Visual snow syndrome is a debilitating disorder characterized by tiny flickering dots (like TV static) in the entire visual field and a set of accompanying visual (palinopsia, enhanced entoptic phenomena, photophobia, nyctalopia), nonvisual (e.g. tinnitus) and nonperceptional (e.g. concentration problems, irritability) symptoms. Its pathophysiology is enigmatic and therapy is often frustrating. To summarize our current understanding of pathophysiology and treatment of visual snow syndrome. A systematic search of PubMed database was performed using the key word "visual snow" and predefined in- and exclusion criteria. The results were stratified into "treatment" and "pathophysiology." Additionally, we conducted a search with the key words "persistent migraine aura" and "persistent visual aura" and screened for mis-diagnosed patients actually fulfilling the criteria for visual snow syndrome. The reference lists of most publications and any other relevant articles known to the authors were also reviewed and added if applicable. From the 50 original papers found by searching for "visual snow," 21 were included according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Additional four publications came searching for "persistent migraine aura" or "persistent visual aura." Further publications derived from literature references resulting in a total of 20 articles for pathophysiology and 15 for treatment with some overlaps. Regarding pathophysiology, hyperexcitability of the visual cortex and a processing problem of higher order visual function are assumed, but the location is still in discussion. In particular, it is unclear if the primary visual cortex, the visual association cortex or the thalamocortical pathway is involved. Regarding treatment, data is available on a total of 153 VSS patients with medication mentioned for 54 resulting in a total of 136 trials. From the 44 different medications tried, only eight were effective at least once. The best data is available for lamotrigine being effective in 8/36 (22.2%, including one total response and no worsening), followed by topiramate being effective in 2/13 (15.4%, no total response and one worsening). The only other medication resulting in worsening of VSS was amitriptyline according to our literature review. The others reported to be effective at least once were valproate, propranolol, verapamil, baclofen, naproxen and sertraline. The nonpharmacological approach using color filters of the yellow-blue color spectrum might also be helpful in some patients. Visual snow syndrome is still far from being fully understood. In respect of pathophysiology, a disorder of visual processing is likely. The best pharmacological evidence exists for lamotrigine, which can be discussed off-label. As nonpharmacological option, patients might benefit from tinted glasses for everyday use.

Effects of Sensorimotor Problems on the Performance of Activities of Daily Living in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sensory-motor problems are the main clinical features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Due to sensory-motor problem, individual with autism spectrum disorder face difficulties in performing their daily living skills. The objective of this study was to determine how sensory-motor problems affect the performance of activities of daily living in children of autism spectrum disorder. The study conducted in Rehab care school for special children and Hamza Montessori School for special children. Data was collected by using purposing non-random sampling technique in the duration of 4 months. Cross sectional study design was used. 60 patients from both genders were included. Sample selection criteria included the children with autism spectrum disorder with age range of 4-15 years. Sensory profile questionnaire based on Ayers sensory integration theory and Standardized Barthel index scale were used to determine the impact of sensory-motor problems on the performance of activities of daily living The results showed that visual processing disorders were highly affecting the performance of activities of daily living. It was concluded that most of the children with autism spectrum disorder have sensory-motor problems. The performance in activities of daily living is affected by sensory-motor problems especially the visual processing problems. Visual processing shows that children have difficulty in performing activities like dressing, eating and toileting. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Activities of daily living, Sensory-motor problems DOI : 10.7176/JHMN/70-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2020

Controversial treatment using coloured overlays in visual processing disorders

Controversial treatment using coloured overlays in visual processing disorders

Early Childhood Educators’ Perceptions of Dyslexia and Ability to Identify Students At-Risk

This study primarily explored the perceptions of dyslexia held by early childhood educators teaching in Head Start centers. A secondary purpose was to investigate how early childhood educators in Head Start centers perceive the notion of risk for dyslexia and how they identify at-risk students in ways that are consist with the results of a research-based assessment instrument. A case study approach was used for this study of two Head Start centers, one in the state of New Jersey and one in the state of Pennsylvania. Two teachers in each center (n = 4) and a total of 19 preschoolers participated in the study. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, observations, a teacher rating scale, and the Preschool Early Literacy Indicator (PELI) assessment. Findings indicate that the Head Start teachers held the prevailing misconception that dyslexia is a visual processing disorder rather than a phonological processing disorder. The Head Start teachers did not view phonemic awareness as a key factor in identifying children at-risk for dyslexia. Participants had a high success rate in identifying students at-risk in the areas of alphabet knowledge and oral language, but not in phonemic awareness and vocabulary. The results suggest that the stereotypes of dyslexia are hard to dispel and that professional development for pre-service and in-service teachers in early literacy practices and dyslexia are needed.

Treatment of a 13-year-old female diagnosed with visual processing disorder, dysautonomia, anxiety, and neck pain using a conservative functional neurological and chiropractic approach.

Treatment of a 13-year-old female diagnosed with visual processing disorder, dysautonomia, anxiety, and neck pain using a conservative functional neurological and chiropractic approach.

The Visual Agnosias and Related Disorders.

There are many disorders of higher visual processing that result from damage to specific areas of the cerebral cortex that have a specific role in processing certain aspects (modalities) of vision. These can be grouped into those that affect the ventral, or "what?", pathway (e.g., object agnosia, cerebral achromatopsia, prosopagnosia, topographagnosia, and pure alexia), and those that affect the dorsal, or "where?", pathway (e.g., akinetopsia, simultanagnosia, and optic ataxia). This article reviews pertinent literature, concentrating on recent developments in basic science research and studies of individual patients. An overview of the current understanding of higher cerebral visual processing is followed by a discussion of the various disorders listed above. There has been considerable progress in the understanding of how the extrastriate visual cortex is organized, specifically in relation to functionally specialized visual areas. This permits a better understanding of the individual visual agnosias resulting from damage to these areas.

Chronic Organic Solvent Exposure Changes Visual Tracking in Men and Women.

Organic solvents can change CNS sensory and motor function. Eye-movement analyses can be important tools when investigating the neurotoxic changes that result from chronic organic solvent exposure. The current research measured the eye-movement patterns of men and women with and without histories of chronic organic solvent exposure. A total of 44 volunteers between 18 and 41 years old participated in this study; 22 were men (11 exposed and 11 controls), and 22 were women (11 exposed and 11 controls). Eye movement was evaluated using a 250-Hz High-Speed Video Eye Tracker Toolbox (Cambridge Research Systems) via an image of a maze. Specific body indices of exposed and non-exposed men and women were measured with an Inbody 720 to determine whether the differences in eye-movement patterns were associated with body composition. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20.0.0. The results indicated that exposed adults showed significantly more fixations (t = 3.82; p = 0.001; r = 0.51) and longer fixations (t = 4.27; p = 0.001, r = 0.54) than their non-exposed counterparts. Comparisons within men (e.g., exposed and non-exposed) showed significant differences in the number of fixations (t = 2.21; p = 0.04; r = 0.20) and duration of fixations (t = 3.29; p = 0.001; r = 0.35). The same was true for exposed vs. non-exposed women, who showed significant differences in the number of fixations (t = 3.10; p = 0.001; r = 0.32) and fixation durations (t = 2.76; p = 0.01; r = 0.28). However, the results did not show significant differences between exposed women and men in the number and duration of fixations. No correlations were found between eye-movement pattern and body composition measures (p > 0.05). These results suggest that chronic organic solvent exposure affects eye movements, regardless of sex and body composition, and that eye tracking contributes to the investigation of the visual information processing disorders acquired by workers exposed to organic solvents.

(Re)-wiring a brain with light: Clinical and visual processing findings after application of specific coloured glasses in patients with symptoms of a visual processing disorder (CVPD): Challenge of a possible new perspective?

The present investigation examined whether changes of electrophysiological late event related potential pattern could be used to reflect clinical changes from therapeutic intervention with coloured glasses in a group of patients with symptoms of central visual processing disorder. Subjects consisted of 13 patients with average age 16years (range 6–51years) with attention problems and learning disability, respectively. These patients were provided with specified coloured glasses which were required to be used during day time. Results indicated that specified coloured glasses significantly improved attention performance. Furthermore electrophysiological parameters revealed a significant change in the late event related potential distribution pattern (latency, amplitudes). This reflects a synchronization of together firing wired neural assemblies responsible for visual processing, suggesting an accelerated neuromaturation process when using coloured glasses.Our results suggest that the visual event related potentials measures are sensitive to changes in clinical development of patients with deficits of visual processing wearing appropriate coloured glasses. It will be discussed whether such a device might be useful for a clinical improvement of distraction symptoms caused by visual processing deficits. A model is presented explaining these effects by inducing the respiratory chain of the mitochondria such increasing the low energy levels of ATP of our patients.

Specific learning disorders in epileptic children.

Specific learning disorders are more common in epileptic children even with normal IQ, The Epilepsy related factors such as (duration of illness , type and severity of epilepsy and medications used ) are strongly related to increase risk of learning disorders. The present study is aimed to shed the light on the specific learning disorders in epileptic children and to study the relation between learning disorders and the epilepsy related factors such as duration , medications , type and severity of epilepsy. Also to study the relation between the learning disorders and the intelligence quotient.The study was conducted on 60 children between the age group of 9and 12 years old.All were subjected to a Semi structured interview, Learning & Developmental Disorders Rating Scales ( LDDRS ) Battery (El-Zyat , 2007), Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales (SB5), Fifth Edition translated by (Farag,2010).The results showed that Seizures was not the only problem that children with epilepsy are suffering from but also they are at greater risk for developing learning Disabilities. From the developmental disorders attention disorder was the most common detected followed by memory then auditory processing disorder followed by visual processing disorder then motor skills disorders. While regarding the academic learning disorders reading disorder was the most prevalent followed by the writing and mathematics being the least detected among the studied group. It is concluded that the most leading causes for learning disability in epileptic children ,as verified in the studied

Retinal degeneration mimicking cerebral visual impairment in a young child with CEP290 mutations: Case report

This publication depicts an unusual variant of retinitis pigmentosa–like retinal degeneration with visual adaptation problems in cone cell functioning from early infancy. In the beginning, the symptoms mimicked visual processing disorders (cerebral visual impairment [CVI]). Repeated functional and clinical assessments from the age of 3 years to the age of 9 years confirmed stable retinal functions. Genetic studies at the age of 9 years revealed that the girl and her parents are the carriers of CEP290 mutations.

Method and application of auditory-visual attention training

The main idea underlying the proposed attention training is to perform stimulation of the hearing and sight senses employing digital signal processing algorithms controlled by electroencephalography signals. The auditory and visual stimuli are designated to force the perception through hearing and sight senses by the appropriate hemisphere. The applied speech modification uses a non-uniform real-time speech stretching algorithm. The video content retrieval showing the speaker's face is slowed down, accordingly. Research experiments employed subjects with central auditory and visual processing disorders revealing severe communication difficulties. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been shown using formal attention focus tests. It was demonstrated that the proposed method of attention training helps improve speech understanding and reading skills in examined subjects. [Research sponsored by the Polish National Science Centre, Dec. No. DEC-2014/15/B/ST7/04724.]

Visual processing and learning disorders

Many children are seen by ophthalmologists because of scholastic difficulties in school initially attributed to eyesight when, in fact, the problem often is a result of a disorder of the brain processing vision. A number of neuropsychological conditions predisposing and affecting children with learning disorders will be described. Visual processing is the main brain function allowing normal perception of what is being viewed. Ophthalmologists as well as patients must realize that with normal 20/20 eyesight interpretation of what is seen may be dysfunctional because of faulty brain processing of that which is seen by normal eyes. Abnormal Visual Processing as well as auditory processing disorders eventually lead directly to learning disorders in children and young adults. New Clinical Practice Guidelines for the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD)/attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) have been established by the American Academy of Pediatrics. An overgrowth of neurons in the prefrontal cortex of children with autism has recently been discovered. Six out of 1000 children have been reported as having Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), which is another name for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A number of alternative treatments for ASD have recently been published. The families of autistic children have increased emotional and financial burdens, often affecting the workplace. Recent neuropsychology discoveries have helped in the prevention, evaluation and treatment of children with visual processing and learning disorders. Quality-of-life and educational efficiency therefore can be improved.