Visual Perceptual Skills
What are visual perceptual skills?
Bishop, 2018 notes "Visual perceptual skills are the brain's ability to make sense of what the eyes see. It is important for everyday activities such as dressing, eating, writing, and playing. There are seven different categories of visual perceptual skills."
Areas of visual perception
Visual spatial relations: "The ability to determine one form or part of a form that is turned in a different direction than the others" (Bishop, 2018).
Educational relevance: Recognizing differences in similarly formed letters (b and d, p and q). Understanding directional terms such as in/out, over/under, left/right.
Sequential memory: "The ability to remember a series of forms and find it among other forms" (Bishop, 2018).
Educational relevance: Sequencing the alphabet, remembering steps to an activity, copying from one place to another
Visual discrimination: "The ability to differentiate between objects and forms" (Bishop, 2018)
Educational relevance: Sorting by category, identifying similarities/differences, differentiating between like-letters (n/m, b/d, p/q), elements of dressing (matching socks/shoes)
Form constancy: "The ability to see a form and find it among other forms, although it is sized differently or rotated" (Bishop, 2018)
Educational relevance: Differentiating like-letters and numbers (6/9, 2/5, b/d, m/n, p/q), replicating block designs
Visual memory: "The ability to store visual details in short-term memory, such as recalling a phone number" (Bishop, 2018)
Educational relevance: Reading comprehension, reproducing letters/numbers from memory
Visual closure: "The ability to fill in the missing details into an incomplete shape. This requires abstract problem-solving" (Bishop, 2018)
Educational relevance: Completing puzzles, writing and spelling
Figure ground: "The ability to perceive a form and find it hidden in a conglomerated ground of matter" (Bishop, 2018).
Educational relevance: Finding materials against a busy background (i.e. finding a certain color crayon in a full box, finding a paper amongst a pile of materials, finding an item in a full backpack)