Visual perception is the total process of extracting and organizing information from the environment and then interpreting and using what is seen. It is an important factor in contributing to a child’s ability to complete fine motor, academic, self-care and play activities. Visual perceptual skills include the identification of shapes, colors, and other qualities, the orientation of objects or shapes in space, and the relationship of objects or shapes to one another and to the environment. Occupational therapy with children with visual perceptual difficulties typically involves teaching the use of compensatory strategies along with improving visual perceptual skills.
- Visual motor – the ability of the hand and eyes to smoothly work together to guide hand movements
- Visual figure ground – being able to find “hidden” figures among a busy background
- Visual memory – measuring the child’s ability to remember previously shown shapes
- Visual discrimination – finding similarities and differences among similar figures
- Visual sequential memory – remembering a series of forms and choosing the series from among similar series
- Visual constancy – the ability of the child to recognize a symbol as being the same in spite of being resized or rotated
- Eye movements/Visual pursuits – the ability of the child to smoothly track with his eyes the movement of objects or symbols
- Copying from far and near
- Visual spatial relationships – being able to identify reversals of objects or shapes
- Body awareness – familiarity with body parts and relation of self to environment
Signs of Perceptual Difficulties in your child:
- Difficulty in recognizing letters and with letter production
- Reversals of letters or numbers, (such as b for d and p for q)
- Inattention or distractibility to writing or reading tasks
- Difficulty copying from a blackboard or white board
- Poor at following instructions
- Directionality confusion moving around environments
- Difficulties understanding the layout of math problems and math worksheets which can interfere with learning of math concepts
- When compared to his/her peers, pictures drawn are immature and unrefined
- Immature drawings of people compared to peers
- Poor eye contact
- Loses his/her place frequently or skips words while reading
School Readiness
“A student’s journey begins with a solid foundation.”
- Providing community resources for our parents
- Setting goals to establish school readiness and provide solutions for parents and educators
- Training on focus, staying on task, and activity transition
- Training on following instructions for learning activity
- Working on appropriate behavior and social interactions with adults and children
- Training parent and child to do daily tasks such as grooming, tying shoes, fine motor skills, and being able to eat a meal at the table
How Do You Treat Perceptual Difficulties?
Occupational therapy has long been one of the most common and applauded forms of treatment for children with cognitive disorders and their families.
There are no cookie cutter treatment plans for children with cognitive disorders. Your child’s occupational therapist will develop a customized care regime to work with him or her to improve strength, coordination and sensory perceptual skills.
Our pediatric occupational therapists here at Synergy Therapeutic Group in Carbondale and Du Quoin, IL, we have received specialized training in the areas of child development, cognitive disorders, and motor control.