Strengthening How Visual, Sensory and Motor Systems Work Together
At Vision Development Center, our mission is to make everyday tasks easier. Led by Dr. Joan Bauernfiend, Fellow of the Optometric Vision Development & Rehabilitation Association, and our team of therapists, we are dedicated to helping your brain and body work together. When our processing pathways have connection issues, our reflexes and responses such as balance, posture, movement, attention, learning, and emotional regulation are all affected.
Since 2009, we have been helping our patients choose a holistic way to impact how their brains and bodies are functioning. If you have noticed that you or someone you love are losing their place while reading, tilting their head or closing one eye, struggling to comprehend reading material, noticing brain fog, hitting a sudden plateau, you may benefit from our customized visual motor therapy. Through visual, sensory and motor therapy, we can correct these pathways and ensure that are brains and bodies are integrated and working effectively.
Did You Know
Dr. Joan Bauernfiend is one of only 7 Indiana Optometrists that have the credentials of a Fellow of the Optometric Vision Development & Rehabilitation Association.
More About Dr. Joan
Dr. Joan, a native of rural St. Henry, IN, completed her undergraduate studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. She then went on to the IU School of Optometry and graduated in May 2008. After graduation, Dr. Joan chose to complete a one-year residency at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, specializing in Pediatrics and Binocular Vision. In 2015, she completed a fellowship with the Optometric Vision Development & Rehabilitation Association, a distinction achieved by only a select number of professionals. Dr. Joan currently resides in Jasper with her husband, Adam, and four children, Camille, Canon, Aria, and Jett.
Meet the Our Team of Experts
Dr. Joan Bauernfiend
Doctor of Optometry
Emily Spinner
Therapist
Rebecca Klem
Therapist
Mitch Sermersheim
Therapist
Heidi Cross
Office Administrator
Kirstie Lankston
Office Administrator
Community Outreach
We believe early intervention can make a meaningful difference in a person’s ability to learn, grow, and thrive. That’s why community outreach is an important part of what we do. Each year, we visit schools throughout Southern Indiana to provide free screenings focused on visual and motor skills, primarily for first and second grade students. Screening notes stay with the school and letters with individual results are sent home to parents. We also provide in-service training for school nurses, helping them recognize potential concerns with skills such as visual tracking and convergence.
Free Screenings
Early intervention can help prevent visual and motor challenges from becoming barriers to learning. Our screenings, offered at no cost to schools or parents, focus on first and second graders to identify concerns early. Undiagnosed visual problems can often mimic signs of ADD, ADHD, or dyslexia, causing reading difficulties, inattention, or reversed letters and numbers, making early identification especially important.
In-services
During in-service training, we equip school nurses with practical guidance for recognizing potential visual and motor concerns. By helping them detect issues with tracking and convergence, we can support earlier identification before these challenges become barriers to learning. We are always open to coming to new schools. Please reach out if you are interested in hosting a free screening or in-service training.
Every Session Is Engaging and Purposeful
One look at our facility, lets you know that we are serious about finding the most purposeful way to introduce fun into functional progress. Our patients enjoy that therapy doesn’t feel like more work.
