When Seeing Isn't Believing: Identifying Visual Perception Problems
Sometimes, a child who successfully passes a vision screening may still have difficulty differentiating certain letters, numbers, shapes and colors. In those cases, the problem isn't the child's vision but visual processing. In most cases, your child's optometrist will diagnose visual processing disorder after evaluating the condition of the eyes and basic vision. There are a few different types of visual processing problems, and understanding each one can help you to identify and work around your child's unique needs.
Visual Discrimination
If the optometrist determines that your child has visual discrimination problems, you're likely to see struggles differentiating between letters such as d and b or p and q. Your child may also struggle to choose a rectangle over a square.
Figure-Ground Discrimination
Figure-ground discrimination problems make it hard for a child to pick out something specific from a background. For example, your child may struggle to find a specific word or shape on a page.
Visual Sequencing
Children with visual sequencing issues will struggle with putting symbols, images and words in order. They may be unable to tell you the order of certain letters or read words in the proper manner. For some kids, it's difficult to write answers on a separate sheet of paper from the questions or to skip over a line when they're reading.
Visual-Motor Processing
You may also know visual-motor processing as hand-eye coordination. It's an important skill for basic daily movements as well as school work. Kids with problems in this area may struggle with writing inside the lines or moving around an obstacle. It can also make it difficult to do copy work because of the coordination required to shift from one page to the other.
Visual Memory Problems
If your child has trouble remembering something that they have seen, they may be experiencing problems with long or short-term visual memory. Visual memory issues can lead to problems with spelling, reading and reading comprehension.
Visual-Spatial Difficulties
Children who have difficulty telling time or judging the distance between items may have visual-spatial problems. This can make it difficult to read maps, and it may even make it hard for your child to visualize the placement of items in a story or a narrative.
When you work with an optometrist like Vision Eyeland Super Optical LLC to diagnose your child's visual processing problems, you can not only identify exactly what the problem is but also establish an effective treatment plan that will address the symptoms and teach your child coping strategies.
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