Visual Acuity Testing In The Child.

Acuity testing in children is imperative to find visual disorders before they have a significant impact upon the learning or developmental processes. The only realistic way to provide for
this testing is to provide easily administered valid tests for use by non-professionals in existing screening programs. However most tests employed today use various symbols, pictures, and objects of questionable psychometric design. we have developed a new approach and visual acuity test for pre-school and exceptional children which has,in this study,proven to be both valid and applicable in these
populations. To assess the validity of the new test it was compared
to standard Snellen acuity in an adult population. Then to assess
the applicability of the test in the target age group it was used
as a screening technique in a Head Start population and to assess
VA in a group of children diagnosed as having various communication
disorders. The use of this test does not require the subject being
tested to respond verbally or by finger pointing.