Visual Perceptual Difficulties

School has been in session for a few months. Now it is when parents and teachers see some of their children struggling with certain tasks and not making progress they should be despite extra practice, accommodations and strategies. This is when an occupational therapist may be called to assess visual perceptual and motor skills to determine if there are difficulties affecting the students’ abilities to progress.

What are some red flags parents and teachers may see that would prompt a request for occupational therapy?

1. Repeated resistance or refusal to initiate/work through/complete a reading or writing assignment.

2. Complaining of headaches especially later in the school day or when they get home.

3. Frequent blinking or rubbing eyes.

4. Turning their head to the side when reading/writing or covering one eye when reading or looking at something on the board (from a distance).

5. Repeating lines or skipping lines when reading.

6. Missing words/letters when copying a passage from the board.

7. Able to copy words but struggling with independent writing.

When a child is doing one or more of these things, it does not guarantee they need occupational therapy. First, it is important to ensure the child is not struggling with vision which is assessed by an optometrist. Monitoring your child’s visual health is extremely important and schools do vision screenings. Also, a child may be struggling with reading due to a reading disability which would be diagnosed by a school psychologist and recommendations would be made for academic support. However, occupational therapy is a good starting place to assess your child’s skills. Screens and evaluations can be done relatively quickly and are not invasive or uncomfortable for a child. Your child may qualify for services and will start receiving regular interventions or direct therapy may not be recommended but strategies are given instead.

If you are having concerns, as a teacher or parent, reach out to an occupational therapist and express your concerns. Occupational therapists can work in schools and in out-patient clinics. There are different standards of practice for each setting, so it’s important to talk with other health professionals, such as your family doctor and optometrist, to help determine what is best for your child.