The Sense: Seeing
(Visual Processing)
What is Visual Processing?
Visual processing is utilizing the input that we receive with our eyes. Visual input helps us to alert or calm ourselves. We process visual input to help understand our our world. This system also gives us information about our personal space as well as others personal space. We constantly use vision to assess and monitor our world and our place in it so that we can be successful at tasks that we are presented with each and every day.
What would I see if my child has difficulty processing visual information?
Over Reactive Visual System-oversensitive to visual information
This child may:
o Blink and dislike bright lights, cover eyes in lighted room
o Avoid eye contact
o Have difficulty following moving objects with eyes or maintaining visual gaze
o Prefer the dark
o Be easily visually distracted
o Be sensitive to bright lights, covers eyes to protect
Under reactive Visual System-decreased sensitivity to visual information
This child may:
o Like bright lights to remain focused and attentive
o Not notice when people come into room
o Have difficulty locating desired object on shelf or in drawer
o Have difficulty copying from books/blackboard
o Have difficulty finding an object in a cluttered background (toy in a messy room)
What can I do to help support my child at home?
q Dim or turn off some lights in the room to introduce a “quiet” room.
q Make forts with pillows and sheets to create dark corners.
q Remove distractions when trying to get a child to pay attention to a task, such as turning off TV or putting a favorite toy out of sight.
q Allow natural light in through windows, if possible, instead of artificial light.
q Using chalkboards, white erase boards, or pencil/paper to play copying games. Have the child draw a shape and imitate him, and then the parent draws a shape for the child to copy.
q Games improving eye hand coordination are important. Simple games at home could include bean bag toss, balloon volleyball, and reciprocal ball play.
q Have the child practice copying from one plane to another, such as copying a word on the white erase board onto paper on the table.
q Play “I Spy” games to help improve visual attention.
q If the child is being overwhelmed and cannot organize his work visually, try folding his paper to eliminate work already completed or not yet done (Such as folding a paper in ¼-ths and the child putting one math problem into each square.
q Teacher supply stores have wonderful supplies to work on visual motor skills, such as parquetry boards, colored cubes, counting bears, and puzzles. Browse through the isles to get some ideas and try to incorporate those ideas into the materials you already have at home.
q Clear off workspaces to be free of distraction.
q Roll a ball back and forth to partner.
q Roll a ball to a target.
q Batting at a suspended ball with hands/paddles.
q Batting at a balloon to keep it in the air.
q Scanning room for objects.
q Tracking a marble (marble works) or a matchbox car in a gutter track.
q Flashlight tracking and tag.
q Bouncing a ball with two hands, one hand, alternating hands.
q Rebounding a ball thrown into a wall and catching it.
General Rule:
- Bland, low intensity, low lighting is typically calming
- Bright lights and/or bright contrasting colors, changing screens on TV’s, and computers tend to be alerting.