Does your child’s reading or writing abilities fall below their grade level? Have you noticed that he or she tends to struggle with creating a mental picture or following directions?

This could be a sign of a problem with how the brain processes visual data, otherwise known as visual processing issues.

A child’s reading, writing, and math skills can all be affected when they have problems with visual processing. They frequently have trouble with visual memory, visual-motor skills, and processing what they see. This could be the cause of them writing their letters backwards, forgetting letters and numbers, or being unable to sequence math facts.

Keep on reading to learn more about visual processing issues in kids and the best intervention for it.

What are visual processing issues?

Our eyes take in the information from the object we are looking at and convey it to our brains for interpretation and processing. Having trouble understanding what the eyes “see” is referred to as a visual processing issue in children.

Oftentimes, visual processing issues may be confused with and mistaken for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or dyslexia. This is because all three of these disorders will result in children struggling with their attention, focus, reading and writing.

In this case, visual information, such as movement, spatial relationships, form, and direction, is affected by visual processing issues, which makes it harder for children to interpret and comprehend the information they are presented with visually. When the brain has trouble making sense of the visual input it receives, this information is unable to be perceived properly, and it cannot be integrated with the other senses.

It is crucial to note that visual processing issues are not problems with one’s vision. An individual with perfect 20/20 vision may still have trouble comprehending what is seen if they are struggling with visual processing issues.

Signs of visual processing issues

Some of the symptoms that your child’s eyes are not working effectively together include the following:

• Moving head while reading or writing, or being unable to track words on a page whilst reading
• Struggling to copy notes
• Having trouble recognising words and frequently omits sounds or letters while reading
• Poor visual memory (having trouble remembering what they saw)
• Issues with spatial awareness
• Having difficulty putting symbols, phrases, or images in the correct order, which is why they could struggle with equations and math facts
• Rubbing their eyes and having trouble concentrating

What to do when your child has visual processing issues

Firstly, it is imperative to keep track of the signs if you suspect that your child may have visual processing issues. This list will come in incredibly handy when speaking to a specialist. It would also be helpful for you to pay close attention to whether these issues are getting in the way of your child’s social development or other relevant skills.

Next, as mentioned earlier, poor vision and visual processing issues are two different issues that require different interventions. Thus, it is vital to rule out any vision or eye abnormalities by having your child’s sight evaluated by an ophthalmologist. It can also be worthwhile to take your child to a dyslexia assessment in Singapore so that you are 100% sure that it is not dyslexia either.

Conclusion

When a child has weak visual processing skills, they may struggle with the ability to manipulate pictures, images and objects in space. If your child is having trouble with visual processing, early intervention centres in Singapore like Singapore Brain Development Centre can help!

We are a brain gym that has provided brain training for kids of all ages for over 16 years. Instead of focusing solely on left or right brain training in Singapore, our holistic cognitive development programs aim to strengthen a range of cognitive skills, including memory, auditory processing, visual processing, processing speed, logic, reasoning and more.

With our thorough and personalised cognitive development plans, we are dedicated to assisting every child in overcoming their cognitive deficits and achieving their full potential. Check out our article on the benefits of brain training for more information!

Feel free to contact us today for further enquiries.