Is your child struggling in school despite having normal eyesight, a good IQ, perfect hearing, and working hard? Are you looking for ways to support your child? It’s important to know that good vision isn’t just about clear eyesight—visual processing skills also play a critical role in learning and can significantly impact school performance. In fact, research shows that visual processing skills are a more reliable predictor of academic success than IQ scores for children in grades below Grade 3. A visual processing assessment might be the missing piece of the puzzle for your child.
What Are Visual Processing Skills?
Visual processing refers to the brain’s ability to interpret and use visual information from the eyes to form meaningful knowledge. It’s not just about seeing clearly; it’s about how the brain makes sense of what is seen—whether it’s recognizing letters, associating words with their sounds and meanings, or comprehending what’s written on the page. Efficient visual processing requires good integration between visual information and other senses. During a visual processing assessment, we evaluate several key skills, including gross motor development, visual-motor integration, visual analysis skills, visual-spatial skills, visual-auditory skills, and eye movement skills.
The Research Behind Visual Processing and Learning
Visual processing skills are a critical foundation for early learning, especially during the “learning to read” phase. When these skills are underdeveloped or inefficient, schoolwork can become much more challenging. Children may struggle to recognize letters or words, have difficulty with reading comprehension, or find it hard to copy from the board. These challenges can lead to frustration, low confidence, and even behavioral issues.
Research has shown that visual processing skills are a significant predictor of academic performance, particularly in the early years of school. Studies indicate that children with strong visual processing abilities tend to perform better in readiness and reading, while those with weaker skills often struggle. In fact, for children from kindergarten to Grade 2, visual processing scores are often more reliable indicators of academic achievement than IQ scores alone.
As children get older, the correlation between strong visual processing skills and performance in reading vocabulary and comprehension weakens somewhat. However, poor visual processing test results still strongly predict poor reading performance.
Signs Your Child Might Have Visual Processing Issues
If your child has been tested for vision, hearing, and cognitive abilities but is still struggling in school, it might be time to explore their visual processing skills. Some signs to watch for include:
- Easily distracted and having a short attention span during learning
- Reversing letters and numbers
- Difficulty with reading, writing, and spelling
- Trouble with spelling and sight word vocabulary
- Confusing words with similar beginnings
- Not recognizing the same word repeated on a page
- Poor reading comprehension
- Untidy handwriting
- Slow progress in learning to read
- Slow reading and/or difficulty copying from the board to a book
My Child Has Poor Visual Processing Skills—What’s Next?
The good news is that visual processing skills can often be improved with perceptual vision therapy. At The Eye Collective, our optometrists are specially trained to assess these skills and make appropriate recommendations for your child. If vision therapy is needed, we can provide a personalized program tailored to address your child’s specific needs. By addressing visual processing issues, you can help your child unlock their full potential and make school a more positive and successful experience.
Book An Appointment For your Child Today!