Optometry Vision Therapy Center
 

Visual Processing Skills!

Helping Your Child Understand the World They See.

 
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More Than Meets the Eye: When Seeing Clearly Isn't Enough

Does your bright child struggle with reading, writing, or paying attention in school? You may have been told their eyesight is "20/20," yet you know something is holding them back. The problem may not be with their eyes, but in how their brain processes and understands visual information.

Vision information processing is the brain's ability to interpret and make sense of what the eyes see... it goes beyond just having 20/20 eyesight. It involves analyzing, interpreting, and storing visual information to coordinate physical or mental reactions. It is crucial for tasks like reading, writing, understanding social cues and performing coordinated physical activities and competitive athletics.

The Building Blocks of Visual Understanding

Visual processing isn't one single skill, but a team of abilities that work together. Our therapy programs focus on identifying and improving these core areas:

Visual Discrimination

The "What It Is" Skill: This is the ability to detect subtle differences between objects, symbols, or letters.
Impact on Learning: Crucial for noticing small details in pictures and math problems.

Laterality

The "Which Way" Skill: This is the ability to recognize directional differences between words, letters, numbers, or objects. This also includes recognizing a distinction between one's own right and left.
Impact on Learning: Crucial for recognizing letters like 'b' and 'd', identifying words like 'was' and 'saw'.

Visual Memory

The "Remembering" Skill: This is the ability to recall visual information that was seen moments before.
Impact on Learning: Essential for copying notes from the board, remembering spelling words, and performing multi-step math problems without losing track.

Spatial Orientation & Relations

The "Where It Is" Skill: This is the ability to understand the position of oneself and other objects in space, along with size, speed, and direction differences.
Impact on Learning: Affects handwriting with proper spacing and sizing, prevents letter and number reversals, and is key for understanding maps, graphs, and geometry.

Common Signs of a Visual Processing Challenge

A visual processing deficit can sometimes be mistaken for a learning disability or attention issue. If your child exhibits several of the following signs, a comprehensive visual skills evaluation may provide answers:

  • Confuses similar-looking letters and words (e.g., b/d, p/q, was/saw)
  • Struggles to copy notes accurately from the board or a book
  • Has messy or poorly spaced handwriting
  • Complains that words "move around" on the page
  • Shows difficulty remembering spelling words
  • Has trouble with puzzles or recognizing patterns
  • Seems clumsy or has difficulty with right vs. left directions
  • Experiences fatigue quickly with reading or close-up work

How Vision Therapy Builds Stronger Brain-Eye Connections

The great news is that visual processing skills are trainable. Through a personalized vision therapy program, we use a series of fun, engaging, and repetitive activities to build and strengthen the neural pathways between your child's eyes and brain.

Our therapy is designed to make these essential skills more automatic and efficient. By improving how your child processes and understands visual information, we can help reduce their frustration and unlock their true potential for learning.

Find the Answers to Help Your Child Thrive

If you recognize these signs and feel your child could benefit from a deeper look into their visual skills, we are here to help. A comprehensive evaluation is the first step to understanding your child's challenges and creating a plan for their success.

Schedule a Visual Skills Evaluation