Good visual processing is essential not only for classroom learning. It also forms the foundation for social connection, and our ability to “read” faces, and is closely linked to other areas of sensory and motor development. 

Delays in early development of visual processing skills become apparent  when children struggle with reading and written work, hand-eye coordination and sporting activities.

What is Visual Processing?

Visual processing, or visual perception describes the way the brain processes visual information. Difficulties are often linked to symptoms  of ADD/ADHD and dyslexia, as your child struggles to maintain focus and learn in a typical classroom.

Your child might not appear to have any problems with actually seeing, but difficulties arise with how their brains are able to interpret and make sense of what they are seeing. 

For example, each eye takes in a slightly different image, and their brains have to process these into a single image. 

Importance of Early Development

Early development of visual processing forms an important foundation for all later learning. It can affect reading and writing, the ability of our eyes to follow hand movements when writing, and hand-eye coordination, such as the ability to catch or hit a ball. It can also affect our ability to connect socially and form relationships, as we learn to visually “read” faces for cues of safety.

This article outlines early development of visual processing, and how immaturities can affect learning difficulties such as ADHD and Dyslexia. It offers tips for supporting your child’s early visual development, and an explanation of how difficulties with visual processing may present in the classroom. The article concludes with some suggestions for helping children who are struggling with reading and other learning difficulties.

How Visual Processing Develops

Your child’s early visual development started even before they were born. Baby’s eyes open around week 28 in utero. They started to perceive bright lights, focus on close-up objects, and could actually start to track movement. 

At birth, baby quickly learnt to focus, gazing at your face when feeding, learning that you are their safe place. This is the very beginning of learning about emotional regulation.

Baby is also learning to read social signals by watching and attuning to your facial expressions. They are noticing the movement of the tiny muscles around your eyes and mouth, and are subconsciously connecting with your emotions.

Did you know you were this important?

Visual processing continues to develop as baby grows, and is gradually able to process increasingly complex visual information. Floor play becomes important as baby learns to focus on objects both near and further away. Baby also enjoys watching and imitating your movements through games such as peek-a-boo.

Visual Processing In the Classroom

Somewhere between the age of 6 and 7, your child’s visual processing will have developed to the point where they are ready for more complex learning, such as reading. Not only do they need to be able to interpret the letters individually, but they also need to be able to make meaning from them when they are grouped together. 

Is YourChild Ready for Reading?

Following from these important stages of early development, reading readiness requires the ability to:

• Distinguish between similar looking letters
• Process and recall the order or sequence of letters
• Remember and recall visual information
• Recall similar shapes of words
• Both eyes need to be able to work together as a team
• Focus on the same point the same time – a single image or written symbol
• Interpret the symbols on the page
• Track smoothly along a line of written symbols, easily crossing midlines, and 
• Send a clear image to the brain in the correct sequence
• Be able to quickly change focus, angles and distance, moving from a speaker, to do written work.

Links to ADHD and Dyslexia

For the last 20 years I have been checking visual processing as part of a general assessment for developmental readiness for school. I found that difficulties with visual processing were often linked to other areas of sensory development, such as senses of balance, touch, and listening or auditory processing. They can often look like signs of Dyslexia and ADHD.

Imagine building a house with some of the foundations missing. This is what classroom learning can feel like for some children. When the foundations for learning are incomplete, many will struggle through no fault of their own.

Children don’t know that their struggle is due to incomplete early development. They often just think they are dumb or stupid. Being asked to try harder won’t help, and can actually reinforce learning difficulties. 

They let us know that they are struggling through their behaviours. They may start annoying their neighbour, or just give up altogether and gaze out of the window.

Signs of Difficulties with Visual Processing in the Classroom

Many children find classroom stressful. As a result, their nervous systems go into a state of overwhelm, and they will struggle learn. Signs that difficulties with visual processing is impacting on learning in the classroom may include:

• Loss of place tracking a line of print, jumping to anther line, or missing words in a line
• Need to use a finger to follow the words when reading
• Frequent mistakes when copying letters, words
• Little expression when reading aloud – monotone, no expression
• Poor reading comprehension – they can “read” the words, but lose track of their meaning when in a sentence, unable to remember what has been read
• Trouble with drawing – unable to copy shapes
• Misreading words
• Letter reversals after age 7
• Slow reading, intense concentration
• Reads better with one eye closed
• Complains of headaches
• Poor posture when reading or writing
• Poor concentration, restless when asked to read, spell
• Difficulty catching a ball

How You Can Help

As mentioned earlier, skills of visual processing, as with all sensory development, started before birth, and developed through feeling safe and connected.

Some things you can do:

• Minimise (remove) use of television and digital devices for the first three years, especially small screens. Pixellated images are not the same as the real world!
• Lots of outdoor play, climbing trees, scrambling over rocks at the beach, and building sand castles
• Time spent in nature, looking into the distance, gazing at the clouds, as well as focussing on the details of flowers, grasses and insects
• Games changing near and distance focus, such as throwing and catching balls
• Activities to build hand-eye coordination, cutting paper, building with clay and play dough, drawing, painting
• Playing with trains and toy cars, bringing eyes to work together to follow a moving object
• Jig saw puzzles, focus on the small parts, as well as the big picture
• Develop social skills through speaking and listening, watching faces for expression
• Talk about feelings, and what they can look like
• Spend lots of time having fun together, especially in the first three years
• Creating safety in relationship as a foundation for all sensory development – listening, visual processing, touch, taste, smell, balance

School-based Sensorimotor Development Program

Research from the Institute of Neuro-Physiological Psychology shows benefits of a school-based sensorimotor development program.  Addressing neuromotor immaturities has been shown to support learning in all its forms – social, emotional, physical, behavioural as well as academic. 

Counselling Support 

If your child is struggling at school, an assessment for developmental readiness is a good place to start. Counselling can help to address some of the blocks in early development, freeing your child for later learning, helping them to achieve to their potential.

Please Note: If you’re worried about your child’s vision or visual processing, it is a good idea to make an appointment to see an optometrist. 

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Related Articles

• Floor Play and Tummy Time
• Raising a Secure Child
• Building Blocks for Learning
• Does my Child need a Diagnosis?

Further Reading

• Badenoch, B. (2018). The Heart of Trauma. Norton. USA. 
• Goddard Blythe, S. (2023). Reflexes, Movement, Learning and Behaviour. Hawthorn Press. UK.
• McGilchrist, I. (2018). The Master and His Emissary. Yale University Press. USA.