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Visual Processing is what happens when we take the input that comes through our Vision and use cognitive processes to understand what we see. Visual Processing skills help students recognize and order visual information, allowing them to read, to correctly copy and solve problems, and represent and work with diagrams, drawings, and shapes. Learners with dyslexia or dyscalculia may demonstrate differences with their Visual Processing of words and numbers, which may stem from difficulties with Phonological Awareness, and can disrupt the process of visual Attention.
Difficulties with Visual Processing can occur even when a student has good Vision. Visual Processing affects learning and development in multiple ways:
Notably, research has shown that some students may be thought to have developmental dyscalculia (DD) in early childhood, but do not meet the criteria by third grade. It is thought that this specific deficit at an early learning stage may disrupt the acquisition of later skills, which can account for mathematical learning difficulties (MLD) at this stage and the associated Visual Processing challenges are instead related to delayed executive function skill development, as seen in ADHD, rather than differences in development of mechanisms for processing numerical information often present in true DD.
Educators can play a key role in supporting students who struggle with Visual Processing. For example, educators can present lessons in multiple modalities, provide feedback both visually and verbally, and can encourage students to take breaks if they feel overwhelmed by the need to process visual input.