Vision Perception and Visual Information Processing

Visual discrimination is the ability to determine objects that are similar in color, size, shape, etc. For example, when reading or writing, visual discrimination allows us to perceive the difference between "p" and "d". Your child may have difficultly in visual discrimination if there is problems with sorting or categorizing items, misreading similar words like "dad" and "bad", and/or difficulty with completing puzzles, spot the difference pages, or hidden object books. 

Spatial relations is the ability to pick out a different object from a group of similar ones and understanding positions of objects in relation to others. There may be difficulty in judging spacing between people or objects and difficulty in accurately assigning left, right, over, under positions. Your child may have a spatial relations issue if they have trouble knowing their left from right, misreading similar letters and words that contain like shapes such as b/d/p/q, following directional instructions, bumping into objects as they move, poor personal space judgment, and difficulty with completing puzzles. 

Form constancy is the ability to recognize like shapes even if one of the shapes has been made larger, smaller or turned around. This skill helps us read different people's handwriting and sort similar items. Your child may have a deficiency in this area if they have difficulty completing puzzles, slow reader especially with different fonts or handwritten notes. 

Sequential memory is the ability to recall a sequence of items in the correct order that's presented visually. This skill is most important for remembering math problems, reading fluently, recalling phone numbers, spelling words correctly, or following multi-step directions. Your child may have a sequential memory problem if they have trouble with spelling or math concepts, is slow when copying notes from the board, difficulty in remembering their address or phone number, and trouble alphabetizing items. 

Visual closure is the ability to determine that two objects are the same, even if one is missing pieces or parts or the ability to imagine how an object would look completed when it has missing pieces or parts. This skills helps us when doing puzzles and dot to dot puzzles. Your child may have difficulty with this skill if they have trouble with puzzles and slow reading fluency. 

Visual memory is the ability to accurately recall objects by how we see, store, and retrieve this information. This is an important skill for learning. In the classroom, for example, visual memory is used when copying notes, spelling tests, and math tests. Your child may have difficulty with visual memory if they have trouble with recalling sight words, poor spelling, poor reading fluidly, poor writing and drawing, poor math skills, and difficulty in remembering directions. 

Figure ground is the ability to find an object that has been "hidden" in some way in the background. This skill is used in every day life when we search for our keys in our purse, look for the ketchup in the fridge, or find a certain pair of socks in our drawer. In the classroom, this skill helps us locate a pencil in a pile of writing utensils or copying the correct section of notes from the board. Your child may have trouble with this skill if they show signs of difficulty locating objects, often loses their place while reading or from copying notes, slow to complete work, or trouble sorting items from a large pile.