Visual Perceptual Skills

Visual perception is the process of extracting and organising information, giving meaning to what we see. It is required to perform everyday tasks, such as reading, copying information from a board or understanding symbols.

Components of visual perception include:-

Eye-hand coordination (eg. drawing precise straight or curved lines within a visual boundary).
Figure ground (the ability to see an object or form when presented in a complex background with a lot of visual information at one time).
Visual discrimination (is the foundation for where an object or shape is classified according to colour, form, pattern, size or position).
Position in space (relates to understanding directional language concepts, such as in/out, up/down, in front of/behind/between, left/right, when relating to objects or shapes such as letters).
Visual memory (ability to remember and recall objects, shapes, symbols, movements or a sequence of movements).
Visual motor integration (ability to make sense of visual information and then use it appropriately when performing a motor task, such as writing)
Visual closure (ability to visualise the whole of an object or picture when part of it is hidden or missing)
Form constancy (ability to recognise forms and objects as the same in various situations).

If you are concerned that your child may have visual perceptual difficulties, please seek the advice of an Occupational Therapist for an individual assessment. Information you will find on this site with regard to visual perception will be general in nature.