VISUAL PERCEPTION: Possible Impact on a Child's Success at School & Home
03.13.2016
While parents generally think about a child’s acuity when considering how well their child can see, therapists and educators realize there is much more to eyesight than having 20/20 vision.
Children require intact visual perception to understand, evaluate, and interpret what is seen. Even if a child has had their vision examined, it has been reported that up to one-third of vision problems are missed in vision screenings.* Children with special needs, such as those with cerebral palsy, cognitive impairment, learning disabilities and genetic syndromes are frequently associated with visual disabilities. Visual disabilities, as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Act, is a “visual impairment which even with correction, adversely effects a child’s educational performance.”
This blog will focus on different types of visual perception and how a deficit in such may present in a child…we will call these the symptoms. These deficits in visual perception may have academic and functional consequences for success at school and home. While visual processing is a complex topic, this blog will highlight information that may be relevant to Occupational Therapists, Educators, and parents as they aim to learn more about how to help children grow!
VISUAL DISCRIMINATION
This refers to a child’s ability to identify differences & similarities between colors, forms, shapes, patterns, and size. Visual Discrimination allows a child to compare and distinguish one set of visual features from another.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Visual Discrimination
- Does the child have difficulty detecting the difference between symbols, pictures, letters, numbers, shapes, and/or words?
- Does the child confuse similar words or digits?
- Does the child have difficulty determining which lines to cut when using scissors?
Find Resources to Address Visual Discrimination here!
FORM CONSTANCY
Form Constancy refers to the child’s ability to identify or sort objects, shapes, symbols, letters, and/or words, despite differences in size or position. With form constancy, the form is constant but the orientation changes. A child with intact form constancy may mentally manipulate forms to visualize outcomes, such as where to place a puzzle piece with little to no trial and error.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Form Constancy
- Does the child have trouble detecting letters, digits, or symbols that are of different sizes, colors, or rotated?
- Does the child struggle when distinguishing between similar letters (r/n, o/a) and words?
- Does the child have difficulty distinguishing between similar forms such as a circle/oval and square/rectangle?
- Does the child have difficulty recognizing words, letters, or numbers that are presented in a different font, writing style, or case (upper/lower)?
- Does the child have a poor ability to recognize words presented in vertical form?
Find Resources to Address Form Constancy here!
FIGURE GROUND
Figure Ground refers to the child’s ability to ability to perceive the foreground from the background in a visual presentation. Impairments in this area of visual perception may interfere with locating specific pictures, symbols, letters, numbers or words in a book, a map, a classroom board, or on other visual material.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Figure Ground
- Does the child show a poor ability to quickly localize a specified word or sentence on a page?
- Does the child display confusion and fatigue quickly when looking at busy visual displays or pages?
- Does the child have difficulty copying from one source to another?
- Does the child have difficulty with hidden picture activities?
- Does the child struggle when finding objects in a drawer?
Find Resources to Address Figure Ground here!
VISUAL CLOSURE
Visual Closure refers to the child’s ability to identify forms or objects from incomplete presentations. Impairments in this area of visual perception may interfere with the child’s ability to perceive the entire presentation of what is to be viewed and/or read. Deficits in visual closure may reduce reading speed because the child needs to slowly and carefully view each letter. Children with intact visual closure do not have to read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Visual Closure
- Does the child show a poor ability to locate objects when only a portion is visible, such as finding a specific toy in a box full of overlapping toys?
- Does the child require extra time to recognize familiar words?
Find Resources to Address Visual Closure here!
VISUAL MEMORY & VISUAL SEQUENTIAL MEMORY
Visual Memory refers to the skill that requires a child to remember or recall items, numbers, objects, letters, figures, and/or words which have been previously seen.
Visual Sequential Memory involves putting movements, sights, sounds, thoughts, objects, numbers or letters in consecutive order according to time and space. Intact sequential visual memory is important for remembering the many non-phonetic words in the English language.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Visual Memory & Visual Sequential Memory
- Does the child have difficulty recalling what was seen when copying from the board or a book; works slowly or omits content?
- Does the child transpose letters, such as perceiving the difference between SAW versus WAS or ON versus NO?
- Does the child have difficulty with recalling phone numbers or addresses?
- Does the child write letters incorrectly?
- Does the child struggle with spelling words?
- Does the child have difficulty with remembering the order of the alphabet?
- Does the child forget steps in a task?
Find Resources to Address Visual Memory here!
Find Sequential Memory Resources Here!
SPATIAL RELATIONS & POSITION IN SPACE
Spatial Relations is the ability to perceive two or more object’s position in space relative to oneself and in relation to each other. Spatial Relations involves the ability to understand directions, reversals, and identify left and right on one’s own body.
Position in Space refers to the ability to perceive or judge an object’s position relative to oneself and the direction in which it is turned.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Spatial Relations & Position in Space
- Does the child have difficulty relating objects to each other?
- When writing does the child struggle with spacing within and between words and organization of the page?
- Does the child have difficulty writing on a line and within a given space?
- Does the child struggle with copying block, parquetry, and pegboard designs?
- Does the child have a poor ability to draw shapes?
- Does the child struggle with using maps, graphs, and grids?
- Does the child incorrectly store items in drawers and closets, placing them upside down, sideways, and/or inside out?
- Does the child demonstrate a poor understanding of spatial terms (up, down, in front, behind, between, backwards, forward, left, right)?
- Does the child display difficulty with proper letter formation-form a circle in a clockwise rather than the preferred counter- clockwise manner?
- Does the child reverse letters- confuse b & d, p & q, W & M, 6 & 9, S & 3?
Find Resources to Address Position in Space and Spatial Relations here!
VISUAL SCANNING & TRACKING
Visual Scanning is the ability to use vision to search in a systematic manner, such as top to bottom and left to right. A child needs to use visual scanning to avoid obstacles when navigating their environment. Smooth visual scanning is required for reading.
Visual Tracking is defined as efficiently focusing on an object as it moves across a person's visual field. This skill is important for daily activities, including reading, writing, drawing, and playing.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Visual Scanning & Tracking
- Does the child lose their place while reading?
- Does the child inconsistently start reading at the top and left side of the page?
- Does the child fatigue quickly when reading, writing, or viewing a computer screen?
- Does the child struggle with copying from the board or a book at his/her desk?
- Does the child have difficulty with ball handling skills; this includes catching, batting, and kicking a ball?
Find Resources to Address Visual Scanning and Tracking here!
SEQUENCING
Sequencing involves putting movements, sights, sounds, thoughts, objects, numbers or letters in consecutive order. It is also the process of putting events, ideas, and objects in a logical order. Sequencing is an important foundation skill for reading, comprehension, and writing. It is also important for ensuring the child can follow through with multi-stepped daily living tasks.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Sequencing
- Does the child have difficulty with creating patterns?
- Does the child struggle with the concept of first, second, and last?
- Does the child have difficulty communicating and executing the steps of daily living skills such as brushing teeth, tying shoes, packing a back-pack, or making their bed?
Find Resources to Address Sequencing here!
GETTING HELP
The symptoms list was prepared to help parents and others identify behavior that may suggest difficulties with visual perception. It is just the beginning to securing the appropriate intervention for your child. Parents with concerns should contact their child’s health care provider to discuss their child’s challenges.
If not previously completed, a formal visual exam by an ophthalmologist or optometrist may be the first step. In the USA, visual perception may be assessed by Developmental Optometrists that specialize in treating vision delays that affect performance, learning and behavior. So as to gather information to determine its impact on a child’s occupational performance, Occupational Therapists also use standardized tests to evaluate visual perception.
WHAT TO KNOW & HOW TO DEVELOP VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS
Just like other areas of development, the ability to successfully use your vision in a functional manner can be influenced by active experiences. In other words, in some cases parents and teachers may minimize difficulties with visual perceptual skills by involving their child in activities that are fun!
The “What to Know & How to Develop Visual Perceptual Skills” Informational Resources target several important areas of visual perception. Use these tools to help educate others on how to help the children in their life improve their function in the following areas:
- Visual Discrimination
- Form Constancy
- Figure Ground
- Visual Memory & Visual Sequential Memory
- Spatial Relations & Position in Space
- Visual Scanning & Tracking
- Visual Closure
These hand outs are designed to be used by parents, teachers, and other caregivers while consulting with an Occupational Therapist or other professional that has explained and is monitoring the use of these strategies.
Find these Visual Perceptual tools in our Parent/Caregiver Education Section by clicking here.
You can also find this Visual Perceptual handouts in our Teacher Education Section by clicking here.
NEW! VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS CHECKLISTS
Tools to Grow is excited to expand our Skills Checklists!
This is a great resource for school based therapists. These informal Visual Perceptual Skills checklists provide a valuable record for documenting a child’s progress in a variety of Visual Perceptual performance areas. Use these over and over when standardized testing is not indicated or suitable.
The Visual Perceptual Skills Checklist is a comprehensive 7 Page PDF that is divided into three sections:
- Preschool - 1st Grade
- 2nd Grade - 3rd Grade
- 4th Grade - 6th Grade
You can find these and more checklists here!
References:
Heying, Kara, O.D. FCOVD Vision Processing & Therapy- Collaborative Approaches with Sensory Processing Disorders, ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia & Traumatic Brain Injury 2014
Related Topics: Early Intervention , School Based OT, Tools to Grow at Home , Tools to Grow at School, Visual Perceptual Skills
