Why Visual Perceptual Skills Are the Foundation for Reading and Writing in Preschoolers
As children step into preschool, they begin their exciting journey towards learning how to read and write. However, before they can decode letters and form words, they first need to develop essential visual perceptual skills. These skills are the foundation for many everyday tasks, including literacy. Visual perceptual skills help children interpret and understand what they see, and they play a key role in how well a child can recognize letters, read words, and write clearly.
So why are visual perceptual skills so important for early literacy? Let’s explore this in more detail by looking at the core visual perceptual skills that every preschooler needs to develop for reading and writing success.
What Are Visual Perceptual Skills?
Visual perceptual skills refer to how the brain processes and organizes visual information. These skills help children understand shapes, sizes, colours, and the relationships between objects. They also allow children to see the world around them in an organized way, which is necessary for everything from recognizing letters and numbers to following written instructions or organizing written work.
Though visual perceptual skills are not related to eyesight or vision itself, they are just as important for learning. Preschoolers who have strong visual perceptual skills are better able to understand what they see, which makes it easier for them to develop reading and writing skills.
Here are four key visual perceptual skills that play an important role in early literacy:
1. Visual Closure
Visual closure is the ability to recognize a whole object or shape even when parts of it are missing or obscured. For example, when children are learning to read, they need to recognize letters and words even if they are incomplete or partially hidden.
For instance, if a child sees the letter “A” but part of the line is missing, visual closure allows them to still identify the letter. This skill is especially important for recognizing letters that look similar, such as “b” and “d,” or “p” and “q.” Visual closure also helps with reading words quickly, even if part of the word is obscured, like in a blurry text or a font that isn’t fully clear.
For writing, children need visual closure to complete shapes or letters they are learning to form. Without this skill, they might struggle to create recognizable letters or numbers, which can make writing frustrating.
2. Visual Figure-Ground
Visual figure-ground refers to the ability to distinguish an object (the “figure”) from its background (the “ground”). For young children, this skill is especially important in reading, as it allows them to focus on the letters and words on a page while ignoring distractions from the background, such as pictures or patterns.
For example, when children look at a book, visual figure-ground helps them pick out the letters or words they need to read from the images or other elements on the page. In writing, this skill helps children focus on the lines of paper or spaces where they should write, rather than being distracted by other elements around them.
Children with strong visual figure-ground skills can filter out irrelevant information, which enables them to stay focused on the task at hand—whether that’s reading a sentence or forming a letter correctly.
3. Visual Discrimination
Visual discrimination is the ability to differentiate between similar-looking objects, letters, or shapes. For example, in reading, visual discrimination helps children recognize the difference between letters like “b” and “d,” or “m” and “w.” Without this skill, children may confuse letters that are visually similar, which can lead to reading or writing difficulties.
Visual discrimination is also important for recognizing the beginning and ending sounds of words, and for identifying letters and words as distinct symbols rather than just random shapes. As children begin to read, they need to discriminate between letters, words, and even punctuation marks in order to understand the meaning of what they’re reading.
In writing, visual discrimination allows children to form letters correctly and identify when something is written incorrectly. For instance, if a child writes a “p” instead of a “q,” visual discrimination helps them recognize the mistake and correct it.
4. Visual-Spatial Relations
Visual-spatial relations refer to the ability to understand how objects or letters relate to each other in space. This skill helps children understand concepts like “above,” “below,” “next to,” or “between.” In reading, this is crucial for understanding the orientation of letters, reading left to right, and recognizing the spacing between words.
For example, children need to be able to tell the difference between “dog” and “god” not just by recognizing the letters, but by understanding their spatial arrangement. In writing, visual-spatial skills help children form letters on the lines, space them correctly, and organize their writing so it’s legible and neat.
Strong visual-spatial skills also help children understand the structure of sentences, such as knowing where to start each line and how to form words consistently across the page.
How Visual Perceptual Skills Support Reading and Writing Development
Each of these visual perceptual skills helps children master the basic building blocks of literacy. From recognizing letters and distinguishing between similar shapes to understanding how words and letters fit together on a page, these skills are integral to becoming a fluent reader and writer.
For instance, when a child learns to read, they rely on visual closure to recognize letters or parts of words. Visual figure-ground allows them to focus on the important visual information—like letters—while ignoring distractions. Visual discrimination helps them distinguish between letters and words that look alike, and visual-spatial relations guide them in properly organizing words on the page.
Together, these skills give children the tools they need to understand written language, read with confidence, and write legibly.
How Occupational Therapy Can Help
Some children may experience delays in developing these visual perceptual skills, which can affect their ability to learn to read and write. Occupational therapy can play a key role in supporting children who struggle with these skills. Through targeted activities—such as puzzles, drawing, tracing, and games—an occupational therapist can help children strengthen their visual perceptual abilities and build the foundation they need for literacy.
Conclusion
Visual perceptual skills are a crucial part of the puzzle when it comes to learning to read and write. From visual closure to visual-spatial relations, these skills form the foundation of many important literacy tasks. By supporting the development of these skills in preschoolers, parents and teachers can help set children up for success as they begin their reading and writing journeys. If you notice your child struggling with these skills, an occupational therapist can help assess their needs and provide fun, engaging activities to boost their visual perceptual abilities.
