Monday, August 19, 2013

Visual Reading Disorders

There are many learning disorders that are related to vision problems. The brain processes information visually in several different ways. As we’ve discussed before, many times children are misdiagnosed with behavioral disorders when the actual issue is a visual/learning disorder.

Here are some of the more common ways our brain processes information visually:

  • Sequencing (the ability to see and distinguish words, symbols, and numbers)
  • Figure–Ground Discrimination (the ability to distinguish a character or shape from its background)
  • Motor Processing (also referred to as hand-eye coordination, the ability to process information from the eyes and move parts of your body accordingly)
  • Memory (long-term and short-term, the ability to remember what you have seen)
  • Spatial Relationships (the ability to determine how shapes are positioned in relation to one another)
  • Discrimination (the ability to process and distinguish one item from another)

Visual disorders can manifest themselves in many different ways because of the many different ways we visual process information. Be sure to bring your child in for regular annual eye exams, especially if you believe they may be struggling with a behavioral or learning disorder. Do you or someone you know have experience with this issue? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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