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A visual processing disorder (VPD) happens when a child has difficulties registering what the eyes see or capture. This is distinct from issues related to sharpness of vision or sight. It is vital to understand that we may look from our eyes but we truly see things through our brains.
Difficulties related to visual perception and organization can sometimes be difficult to spot in a child with a visual processing disorder. Moreover, they can have a direct impact on the child's motor skills, behavior, and academics.
What is Visual Processing Disorder?
Vision is not just limited to what we see with our eyes but also the meaning and visual processing derived from the visual centers in the brain, which may include pictures, symbols, and distances. A particular weakness in these centers leads to a visual processing disorder, a type of sensory processing disorder. Even though individuals with visual processing disorders find it difficult to understand visual information, this does not affect their IQ levels.
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For the child, this disorder can hinder their ability to socialize and ultimately affect their self-esteem, which can make them extremely frustrated. They may act withdrawn at times. Visual processing issues are lifelong challenges for a child, but there are ways to cope with them.
Adults with VDO can be severely affected by the effects of this disorder, which is often undiagnosed. Difficulty while reading, challenges in spatial awareness, and depth perception—these symptoms can continue into adulthood and can cause the individual to be anxious, stressed, and even angry.
The exact cause of visual sensory processing disorder is yet to be identified. However, the researchers are aware that the disorder develops when the brain is unable to recognize or take in visual information from the eyes. Some researchers suggest a low birth rate and being born preterm can also be causes of this disorder.
Signs of Visual Processing Disorder
Individuals with VPD can present with a variety of symptoms that can vary in variety and presentation. Some of the symptoms of visual processing disorder in children and adults are listed below:
- Difficulty with visual-spatial skills like judging movements, depth perception, and coordinating movements
- Visual stimuli sensitivity leads to discomfort in visually stimulated environments
- Visual memory challenges like difficulty in remembering faces or visual details
- Difficulty in distinguishing between similar shapes, letters, and objects
- Difficulty in reading, writing, and following instructions in a sequential manner
- Frequently bumping into things
- Frequent complaints of eye strain
It can be quite a task in finding these symptoms in a child, but once identified this can pave the way to a better future for the child's learning disabilities.
Types of Visual Processing Disorder
In total, there are eight different types of visual processing difficulties, each of which affects a different aspect of visual processing and identification with a distinct and unique set of symptoms. An individual can have more than one type of difficulty at a given time.
- Visual Discrimination Disorder: Difficulty distinguishing similar shapes or objects.
- Visual Memory Disorder: Challenges in remembering visual information.
- Visual Sequencing Disorder: Trouble organizing visual information sequentially.
- Visual-Spatial Disorder: Difficulty with depth perception and spatial skills.
- Visual Motor Integration Disorder: Problems coordinating visual and motor skills.
- Visual Closure Disorder: Difficulty recognizing incomplete visual stimuli.
- Visual Figure-Ground Disorder: Trouble distinguishing objects from the background.
- Visual Sensitivity Disorder: Heightened or decreased sensitivity to visual stimuli. Proper assessment is crucial for a qualified professional to develop appropriate intervention strategies.
What are The Possible Visual Processing Disorder Treatment Options?
There is no cure for VPD, but various integrated coping strategies can help an individual balance the challenges associated with the disorder. These strategies include the use of visual aids and modifications, such as magnifiers, color overlays, or customized fonts. Occupational therapy can also be used to improve visual-motor integration, coordination, and visual-spatial skills.
Strategies to help the brain understand visual cues include vision therapy, vestibular therapy, augmentative auditory therapy, and reflex integration therapy.
It is important to remember that VPD is not an indicator of an individual's level of intelligence, and with the right amount of guidance and support anyone can achieve the best results.
Visual processing disorders are lifelong conditions; a child will not simply outsmart these difficulties. But they can definitely make use of the different strategies to pave their way through the classroom and beyond.
You are the best advocate for your child's future. Rely on and trust your instincts if you feel that your child is having difficulty with visual or motor skills. Consult an expert immediately and get visual processing issues evaluated.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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