Equipment: Four foot string with five different colored beads on it.
Purpose: To develop binocular coordination, specifically convergence with accommodation, as well as memory tasks.
Procedure: tie one end of the string to a door knob, and have patient hold other end to their nose. The patient may be seated or standing with the string at eye level. Spread the beads out, with the first one about 1 foot in front of the nose, and each consecutive bead one foot from the next one. Have the patient look at the first bead, and see the string crossing right at the hole in the bead, with two strings in front, and two strings in back. Then proceed on to the next bead, attempting to get the same pattern. When the patient is able to get the “X” at each bead, begin to rhythmically shift from bead to bead, calling out the color of the bead at each shift.
Gradations:
- Increase the speed of shifting.
- Slowly bring the closer beads closer to the patient’s nose.
- Remove all the beads, and just slide the convergence up and down the string.
- Use one bead, slowly move it up and down the string, like a “bug on a string”.
- Add more beads, like five, to increase precision of control.
- Skip from bead to bead randomly, instead of in order.
- Stand on balance board.
- Add rhythm.
- Call each bead a name, then shift from bead to bead, calling, and remembering beads.
- Increase accommodative demand by placing small dots or small letters taped onto the beads.
- Peripheral call, shift: Patient calls color of next bead he/she observed in the periphery, then shift, then call next, then shift. This requires a great deal of control!