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Math PK-2

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Math PK-2 > Factors > Visual Processing

Visual Processing

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Visual Processing is seeing at the cognitive level: taking the input that comes through our Vision and working to understand what we see. Visual Processing skills help students recognize and order visual information, allowing them to correctly copy and solve math problems and represent and work with geometric shapes. Learners with dyslexia may demonstrate differences with the Visual Processing of words and numbers, often stemming from difficulties with Phonological Awareness, which can disrupt the process of Visual Attention.

Main Ideas

Difficulties with Visual Processing can occur even when a student has good Vision. Visual Processing impacts math development in multiple ways:

  • Visual Discrimination is the ability to identify different visual stimuli. During problem solving, this allows students to distinguish different numbers and symbols.
  • Visual Sequencing is the ability to determine the order of images, numbers, or symbols.
  • Visual Spatial Processing is the ability to recognize the relation of objects in space to one another and to oneself. These skills are important for determining the arrangement of numbers and symbols on a page and for mentally manipulating shapes in space.
  • Visual Motor Integration is the ability of the eyes and hands to work together in a coordinated manner, which relies on both visual spatial discrimination and motor skills.

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