Visual Processing Disorder (VPD) refers to difficulties in the brain’s ability to make sense of visual information. It’s not a problem with eyesight or how clearly a person sees but rather with how the brain interprets the information that the eyes see. VPD can affect a person’s ability to perform visual perception tasks, including recognizing shapes, understanding spatial relationships, and processing visual details.
There are several types of visual processing issues, including:
- Visual discrimination: Difficulty distinguishing between similar-looking objects or shapes, which can affect reading and math.
- Visual figure-ground discrimination: Trouble identifying an object or figure from a background, such as finding a specific word in a text block.
- Visual sequencing: Problems with understanding the order of symbols, words, or numbers, leading to challenges in reading, writing, and math.
- Visual-motor integration: Difficulty coordinating hand-eye activities, such as drawing, cutting, or playing sports.
- Visual memory: Trouble recalling what has been seen, like forgetting visual patterns or directions shortly after seeing them.
- Visual-spatial relationships: It is difficult to understand how objects relate to each other in space, making tasks like reading maps or solving puzzles harder.
Kids with VPD may struggle with reading, copying from a board, organizing their schoolwork, or navigating their environment. Early intervention and specialized educational strategies can help support children with VPD in their learning.
