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Visual Processing Disorders
in Children
The Whys of Visual Processing
Vision & Reading
Vision & Writing
Vision & Social Problems
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Vision & Writing
Visual processing
problems commonly affect writing. Some of the most
common ways visual problems present:
Sloppy Handwriting
Because handwriting requires constant feedback from
vision and fine motor activity, unrecognized vision
problems can contribute significantly to poor
handwriting. Children may struggle with keeping letters
well spaced or on the lines, and be confused about how
letters are written. Spatial problems and motor problems
also contribute to writing difficulties, but because
these systems all work together, a breakdown at any one
point may result in near-illegible work.
Large Letters
Sometimes we see
children trying to write in very large letters - it may
be because they can't see normally sized letters (for
their age) as they write them.
Looking Up Frequently While
Copying Words or Sentences
Children who look
up frequently when writing words or sentences have
problems remembering how letters look (visual letter
form weakness) or a small visual memory span. A small
visual memory span means that one can only "see" a small
bit at one time. For reading words, this might mean only
seeing two or three letters at a time. Children with
small visual memory spans have more difficulty becoming
fluent readers because they read letter-by-letter and
may have trouble quickly recognizing the whole shape of
words.
Spelling Errors
If you can't see
every letter in a word, it affects spelling and it's
hard to learn which sounds go with which letters or
letter combinations. Visually-based spelling errors more
commonly affect the middle parts of word because visual
crowding makes it difficult to make out individual
letters.
Eyes Close to Page
Students bring
their eyes close to the page for a variety of reasons.
Sometimes a child may need glasses, but other times it
may because it's hard to switch focus from far-to-near,
or they have visual overload from a brain-based visual
impairment. It's important to distinguish these causes
because each is treated differently.
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