SYRACUSE, Utah — A Syracuse seventh-grader who once struggled daily with reading now approaches schoolwork with confidence, thanks to a diagnosis of an eye-tracking issue that surprised his family.
Damian Jump now carries notebooks filled with assignments and keeps pace with his classmates, a significant change from just a few years ago. His mother, Annica Jump, recalled that her son found reading challenging. Damian himself stated, "I didn't like it because I couldn't read."
Annica Jump first noticed significant difficulties in 2020. Despite her son's intelligence, he had trouble maintaining his place on a page, often mixed up letters, skipped the ends of words, and pointed to incorrect lines while reading. Initially, like many parents, Annica suspected dyslexia. However, a friend's suggestion redirected their search for answers.
"She said it could be an eye-tracking issue, and I thought, an eye-tracking issue? I didn't even know that was a thing," Annica Jump recounted. This recommendation led the family to Dr. Eldon McMurray, the founder of Eyes Up Reading. Dr. McMurray, a former educator with a doctorate in reading, evaluated Damian.
Dr. McMurray quickly identified the problem after his evaluation. He explained that in Damian's case, "the eyes tracked at different speeds." Annica Jump described how one of Damian's eyes would follow text for a brief period before making a looping movement instead of continuing on the correct line. Dr. McMurray noted that many children facing eye-tracking difficulties are unaware of the underlying issue, as it often occurs "below their perceptual level."
To address the problem, Damian engaged in specialized exercises designed to help his eye muscles collaborate and coordinate their movements more effectively. The family reported that the results of this intervention were dramatic. Not long after beginning treatment, Damian's confidence in reading increased, and his reading level began to climb well beyond his grade level.
Today, Damian states, "Now, if the teacher needs me to read something, I can just read it with ease. I don't struggle to read it." His mother, Annica Jump, now works as a reading coach. She hopes that sharing her son's experience will encourage other families in Northern Utah to explore additional possibilities when their children encounter reading difficulties. She emphasized that reading struggles are "not to do with your intelligence."
For the Jump family, their message to others facing similar challenges is to approach progress one page at a time, rather than rushing through the next chapter.