TIPS FOR GROWING: Edition 7 - Visual Perceptual Skills Impact On A Child's Success At Home & School (Part TWO)
12.14.2022
Welcome to the seventh edition of Tips For Growing! These blog posts will focus on important clinical topics that are regularly encountered when working with children. We hope these seeds of information will help with the most important job there is . . . helping children grow.
Today’s "Tips For Growing" is the second of two parts that will focus on types of visual perception, symptoms of deficiencies, and resources to help address difficulties in these areas.
>> Visual Perceptual Areas will include: Visual Discrimination, Visual Memory, Visual Scanning & Visual Tracking, and Visual Sequential Memory Skills.
>> Also Find more information about: (1) "What to Know & How to Develop Visual Perceptual Skills", (2) Visual Perceptual Checklists, and (3) Visual Schedules!
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. A child may have normal acuity to clearly discern the shapes and details of what they see but may still have problems with visual perceptual processing.
Children require intact visual perception to understand, evaluate, and interpret what is seen. Visual perception refers to the brain's ability to make sense of what the eyes see. This is not the same as visual acuity which refers to how clearly a person can see.
Intact visual perception is necessary for children to successfully function at school, at home, and on the playground. Imagine trying to read when the letter d looks no different than the letter b. How about being repeatedly late for school because it takes extra time to get dressed. Imagine looking over and over in the drawer or closet for the correct clothing that just doesn’t seem to be there.
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!
VISUAL 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.
Symptoms of Difficulty with Visual 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?
> > Find Resources to Address Visual Memory 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 & Tracking here!
VISUAL SEQUENTIAL MEMORY
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 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 Sequential Memory 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.
--> Watch Video on these handouts here!
VISUAL PERCEPTUAL 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 PDF that is divided into three versions:
- Preschool - 1st Grade
- 2nd Grade - 3rd Grade
- 4th Grade - 6th Grade
> > You can find these and more checklists here!
VISUAL SCHEDULES
Visual Schedules are used to communicate the sequence of upcoming events and activities. This is important for those students that may become anxious or require a high level of predictability during their day.
> > You can find these and more schedules here!
--> Watch Video on these visuals here!
We hope these seeds of information will help with the most important job there is . . . helping children grow!
Related Topics: Tips for Growing , Visual Perceptual Skills
