Why Visual Perception Is So Important
Visual perception supports almost every school task, including:
Reading & spelling: recognizing letter patterns, tracking lines, recalling what was read
Writing: spacing, staying on the line, copying accurately, forming letters efficiently
Math: number recognition, place value alignment, visual patterns, geometry
Attention & behavior: reducing fatigue, frustration, avoidance, and “I can’t” moments
Sport & coordination: catching, aiming, balance, judging distance, timing movements
Everyday independence: dressing, packing a bag, finding items, organizing belongings
The Key Visual Perceptual Areas We Assess and Train
1) Visual Discrimination
Definition: Telling the difference between similar shapes, letters, numbers, or objects.
Common signs: Confuses similar letters/numbers (b/d, p/q, 6/9), struggles with puzzles, mixes up words that look alike.
How therapy targets this:
“Spot the difference” tasks
Same/different sorting games
Letter/number discrimination drills
Rapid recognition practice (accuracy first, then speed)
2) Visual Figure–Ground (Finding What Matters)
Definition: Picking out one item from a busy background.
Common signs: Loses place while reading, struggles with worksheets, can’t find items in a messy desk/bag, overwhelmed by cluttered pages.
How therapy targets this:
Hidden picture activities
Visual scanning strategies
Page “anchoring” and tracking supports
Structured clutter-to-clean progression exercises
3) Visual Sequencing
Definition: Seeing and remembering the correct order of visual information.
Common signs: Skips words/lines, reverses order of letters, struggles with spelling patterns, difficulty following multi-step visual information.
How therapy targets this:
Sequencing cards and pattern building
Copying sequences (shapes → letters → words)
Visual tracking with sequencing targets
“Look–remember–build” activities
4) Visual Motor Processing (Eye–Hand Coordination)
Definition: Coordinating what the eyes see with what the hands do.
Common signs: Slow, messy writing, difficulty staying on the line, poor spacing, trouble with cutting, drawing, catching/throwing.
How therapy targets this:
Pre-writing stroke foundations
Maze and pathway accuracy training
Copying grids and patterns
Ball skills + target activities to integrate vision and movement
5) Visual Memory (Short-Term & Long-Term)
Definition: Remembering what was seen — immediately and over time.
Common signs: Forgets letters/words just learned, struggles to copy without constantly looking back, weak sight-word recall, slow reading.
How therapy targets this:
Visual memory games (increasing complexity)
Chunking and pattern memory strategies
“Look–cover–write/check” training
Memory + tracking combined drills
6) Visual–Spatial Skills
Definition: Understanding where things are in space and how they relate.
Common signs: Poor spacing in writing, difficulty aligning numbers in math, messy page layout, bumping into things, weak judgement of distance.
How therapy targets this:
Spatial language + directionality activities
Grid work and block designs
Copying shapes with spatial accuracy
Balance + movement activities to strengthen spatial mapping
7) Visual Closure
Definition: Recognizing an object or word when only part of it is visible.
Common signs: Slow reading, guesses words, struggles with incomplete shapes, difficulty identifying objects quickly.
How therapy targets this:
Partial-picture completion tasks
Word completion exercises
“Guess less, check more” strategies
Speed + accuracy recognition practice
8) Letter & Symbol Reversal (Directionality)
Definition: Confusing letters/numbers because of direction (left/right orientation).
Common signs: b/d, p/q, n/u, 6/9, 21/12 confusion; persistent reversals; struggles with left/right.
How therapy targets this:
Directionality and laterality training
Multisensory letter formation (body → air → paper)
Visual anchors and cueing systems
Tracking and midline activities (crucial for left–right stability)
Our Therapy Approach: Whole-System Visual Development
We don’t only “drill worksheets.” We build the foundations that make visual perception work smoothly, including:
Visual tracking & saccades (moving eyes accurately)
Convergence (teaming eyes together for near work)
Accommodation (focusing stamina)
Bilateral integration & midline crossing
Posture, balance, and core stability (because vision and body control work together)
Attention + processing speed supports
This is why progress often shows up not only in reading and writing — but also in confidence, behavior, and reduced fatigue.
What Improvements Families Often Notice
With consistent therapy and home practice, many children begin to:
Read with better flow and fewer skipped lines
Copy faster with fewer errors
Feel less overwhelmed by busy worksheets
Improve handwriting spacing and neatness
Make fewer reversals and confusions
Work with better stamina and less frustration
Who Can Benefit?
Visual perceptual therapy can help children who:
Are bright but struggle with reading, writing, or maths
Avoid schoolwork or melt down during homework
Have poor handwriting and slow output
Lose their place often or skip words/lines
Have coordination challenges or struggle in sport
Have attention difficulties or visual processing delays
Have learning differences (including dyslexia-like signs)
Book a Screening / Assessment
If you’re noticing any of these signs, a structured visual perceptual screening can identify what’s going on and guide a clear plan.
Dont delay, found out more:
South Africa and Africa: volses18@gmail.com
UK, Ireland: dsmith@vp-therapy.com
Rest of the world: dsmith@vp-therapy.com