Visual Processing Skills + Games

What is "Visual Processing"

Visual processing skills are the brain's ability to make sense of and interpret visual information received from the eyes. These skills are essential for tasks like reading, writing, recognizing shapes, and navigating environments. They include a range of abilities such as visual memory (recalling visual details), visual-spatial skills (understanding where objects are in space), visual discrimination (distinguishing differences between objects), and visual tracking (following moving objects). Strong visual processing skills are critical for learning and performing daily tasks, and deficits in these areas can impact academic and functional performance. See the description of each visual processing skill below as well as a list of age-appropriate games you can play at home to develop these skills.

Visual Discrimination:

The ability to determine characteristics and unique features among similar objects. In reading, this skill helps children to distinguish between similarly spelled words, such as run/ran, was/saw.

Visual Memory:

The ability to visually recall a given form or object. This skill enables children to remember what they read and see by adequately processing information through their working memory, from which it is filtered out into the long-term memory. Children with difficulties may have reduced comprehension. The may have difficulty remembering what a word looks like or fail to recognize the same word on another page. Copying tasks may be slower as well.

Visual Sequential Memory:

The ability to recall a series of shapes, letters, or numbers in the correct order. This skill is important for spelling accuracy. Letter omissions or transpositions within words occur with children that have difficulty with this skill. They may sub-vocalize as they are writing as a coping strategy

Visual Spatial Relations:

The ability to distinguish what is different among several objects that are the same. This skill enables children to better understand relationships and underlying concepts. This skill is involved in problem solving and conceptual skills needed for math and science.

Visual Form Constancy:

The ability to manipulate forms and predict the result. This skill is important for recognizing differences in shape, size, and orientation. Children that experience difficulty with this skill may reverse numbers and letters.

Visual Figure Ground:

The ability to locate a form within a crowded background. Children may exhibit confusion with too much print on the page, affecting attention and concentration. They may also have difficulty keeping their place on the page.

The ability to visualize in the mind’s eye an incomplete picture or information. This is an important skill for spelling, reading comprehension, and fluency.