Learning Disability - Visual Processing Disorder
A Visual Processing Disorder is the inability for an individual to make proper sense of information taken in through the eyes.
This disorder has nothing to do with one's vision or the sharpness of it, but it is the difficulties experienced with how visual information is processed by the sufferer's brain.
The individual may have 20/20 vision but may have problems in figuring out background from foreground, size, forms and positions in space.
Some individuals have difficulties with learning and behavior from time to time but that does not necessarily mean they suffer from any kind of visual processing disorder.
However if these signs and symptoms do persist then a visit to a professional will be in order, who will then do testing for visual processing disorders.
There are five main regions affected by Visual Processing Disorder.
They are object recognition, spatial relations, visual closure, visual discrimination and whole/part relationships.
Object Recognition - Here the individual finds it difficult to recognize familiar objects.
One reason is because they are unable to put the whole image into place.
They see it in parts and not as a whole object.
For some others it could be a visual memory problem, where, even if the object is recognized as a familiar object, they may not be able to recollect from memory an object which is similar or are unable to make a connection between the object before them and the remembered object.
Difficulties in object recollection and recognition can often be frustrating when it comes to learning numbers, letter, words, pictures and symbols.
What could be even more frustrating is the fact that something learned today may not be able to be recalled the next day.
Spatial Relations - This has reference to objects in space and their position and also the ability to perceive objects in space in relation to other objects.
Mathematics and reading are two subjects that deal with numbers, letter, symbols and where the understanding of spatial relationships and accurate perception are rather important.
A person with this condition, therefore, generally finds it difficult to figure out the difference between p and q and b and d.
Visual Closure - The individual finds it difficult to figure out an object only if part of it is visible.
For example he/she will find it difficult to figure out a word if a letter is missing from that word, or perhaps will be unable to recognize a car if the wheels are missing or difficulty in recognizing a face if the nose or mouth or eye does not complete the picture.
Visual discrimination - Here the individual, by sense of sight is unable to tell the difference between two similar objects, or two similar shapes or even two similar letters.
He/she is also unable to tell or notice the differences and similarities between a particular color, patterns and shapes.
Whole/part relationships - Here the individual finds it difficult to recognize an object, for example, either he/she sees the whole object or he/she sees only parts of the object.
A typical example would be an individual may see the tree but not the forest or may see the forest and not the tree.
This disorder has nothing to do with one's vision or the sharpness of it, but it is the difficulties experienced with how visual information is processed by the sufferer's brain.
The individual may have 20/20 vision but may have problems in figuring out background from foreground, size, forms and positions in space.
Some individuals have difficulties with learning and behavior from time to time but that does not necessarily mean they suffer from any kind of visual processing disorder.
However if these signs and symptoms do persist then a visit to a professional will be in order, who will then do testing for visual processing disorders.
There are five main regions affected by Visual Processing Disorder.
They are object recognition, spatial relations, visual closure, visual discrimination and whole/part relationships.
Object Recognition - Here the individual finds it difficult to recognize familiar objects.
One reason is because they are unable to put the whole image into place.
They see it in parts and not as a whole object.
For some others it could be a visual memory problem, where, even if the object is recognized as a familiar object, they may not be able to recollect from memory an object which is similar or are unable to make a connection between the object before them and the remembered object.
Difficulties in object recollection and recognition can often be frustrating when it comes to learning numbers, letter, words, pictures and symbols.
What could be even more frustrating is the fact that something learned today may not be able to be recalled the next day.
Spatial Relations - This has reference to objects in space and their position and also the ability to perceive objects in space in relation to other objects.
Mathematics and reading are two subjects that deal with numbers, letter, symbols and where the understanding of spatial relationships and accurate perception are rather important.
A person with this condition, therefore, generally finds it difficult to figure out the difference between p and q and b and d.
Visual Closure - The individual finds it difficult to figure out an object only if part of it is visible.
For example he/she will find it difficult to figure out a word if a letter is missing from that word, or perhaps will be unable to recognize a car if the wheels are missing or difficulty in recognizing a face if the nose or mouth or eye does not complete the picture.
Visual discrimination - Here the individual, by sense of sight is unable to tell the difference between two similar objects, or two similar shapes or even two similar letters.
He/she is also unable to tell or notice the differences and similarities between a particular color, patterns and shapes.
Whole/part relationships - Here the individual finds it difficult to recognize an object, for example, either he/she sees the whole object or he/she sees only parts of the object.
A typical example would be an individual may see the tree but not the forest or may see the forest and not the tree.
