We all see the world in a different way, but imagine your brain did not process information and images in the typical sense, causing you to see things completely differently? This is the reality for individuals who experience a visual processing disorder.
Does a visual disorder just mean you have poor vision?
No. Visual processing disorder carries a connotation similar to ‘visually impaired.’ However, a child who experiences a visual processing disorder involves an issue with how their brain processes visual information. This is not the same as needing glasses or contacts to correct poor vision. If a child experiences visual processing issues or has a visual processing disorder, then they may have difficulty with tasks such as discriminating between different shapes or colors.
Areas of visual processing
There are several different areas of visual processing, including visual closure, visual discrimination, visual figure-ground, visual integration, visual sequencing, visual tracking, language association, language classification, memory, motor skills, relationships between part and whole, and spatial relation. As there are many aspects of visual processing, a child with a disorder does not necessarily experience difficulties with each of these areas.
Visual processing and autism
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can experience a visual disorder. Visual processing disorders can affect many areas of a child’s development, which is why it is important to address issues as early as possible in development.
Symptoms of a visual processing disorder
There are many different ways visual processing abilities can be affected by a visual processing disorder, so symptoms can look different in every child. A few possible symptoms might include, difficulty paying attention to visual supports, disinterest in movies and TV shows, or trouble writing on lined paper (staying inside the lines). This being said, there are many more symptoms that can arise in children with a visual processing disorder.
Can ABA therapy help visual processing?
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy can help children on the autism spectrum to develop many of the skills affected by a visual processing disorder.
Would you like to learn more about visual processing disorder and ABA therapy?
Contact us or call (773) 630-4400 to learn more about the range of services we provide for children who are on the autism spectrum at Chicago ABA Therapy, including applied behavior analysis therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology.
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