Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration

Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration

Decoding written words is a key component to developing the ability to read.  In order to decode, children need adequate visual perceptual skills.  Recent research published in Dyslexia discussed the link between reading, visual perception, and visual–motor integration using the Developmental Test of Visual Perception version 2 (DTVP-2).  The study examined three parts:

1) how did visual perception and visual–motor integration in kindergarten predict reading outcomes in neurotypical Grade 1 students.

2) if the skills can be seen as clinical markers in children with dyslexia.

3) if visual–motor integration and motor-reduced visual perception can distinguish children with dyslexia depending upon whether they exhibited developmental coordination disorder.

The results of the study indicated the following:

• phonological awareness and visual–motor integration predicted reading outcomes one year later.
• DTVP-2 demonstrated similarities and differences in visual–motor integration and motor-reduced visual perception between children with DD, DCD, and both of these deficits.

The researchers concluded that the DTVP-2 is a suitable tool to examine links between visual perception, visual–motor integration and reading, and to differentiate cognitive signs of children with developmental disabilities.

Reference: Bellocchi, S., Muneaux, M., Huau, A., Lévêque, Y., Jover, M., & Ducrot, S. (2017). Exploring the Link between Visual Perception, Visual–Motor Integration, and Reading in Normal Developing and Impaired Children using DTVP‐2. Dyslexia, 23(3), 296-315.

Looking for activities to practice visual perceptual skills and visual motor integration?  Check out these titles:

Hole Punch Palooza – combine visual perceptual, visual motor, letter recognition and hand strengthening with this digital download.  It includes 26 capital letter strips, 26 lowercase letter strips, 16 pre-writing strips, 12 visual discrimination strips, 4 counting strips, 4 prepositional phrase strips and 4 hole punch race strips.  Once printed, children can trace the letters, write the letters and hole punch the matching letters.  All the hole punch strips are in black and white.Hole Punch Palooza encourages: hand strengthening, handwriting and drawing practice, visual discrimination skills, visual motor skills, right/left discrimination and bilateral coordination.

Visual Motor Exercises – This digital download includes 25 long mazes and patterns to print, assemble and complete to practice pencil control.  Once the pattern/maze is assembled it is 28 inches in length.  This length encourages the child to cross the midline and to rotate the head (vestibular input) while completing the visual motor exercise.  The patterns and mazes vary in difficulty from easy to hard with horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curves and circular patterns.  The patterns/mazes are all in black and white.  There is a step by step direction sheet with color photos for the children to follow along.

The post Link Between Reading, Visual Perception, and Visual–Motor Integration appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Visual Motor Integration Skills and Speech Sounds

Perceptual and Motor Skills  published research on visual motor integration skills in children with speech sound disorders (SSD).  A SSD is defined as a “persistent difficulty with speech sound production that interferes with speech intelligibility or prevents verbal communication of messages”.  Visual motor integration (VMI) is defined as the coordination of visual and motor functioning, which is closely related to academic skills.  Since visual input plays an important role in learning the phonological structure of language, children use multimodal information to determine how to produce a sound by perceiving speech spoken both by themselves and others.

The participants included 65 Turkish children aged from 5 to 6½ years old (31 with speech sound problems and 34 age matched controls without speech problems).  Each child was evaluated with the Ankara Articulation Test for evaluating speech sound skills and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration with its supplemental tests of Visual Perception and Motor Coordination.

The results indicated that the children with SSD scored significantly lower than the control group in Visual Motor Integration, Visual Perception, and Motor Coordination.

The researchers recommend that if a child has SSD there may be visual motor deficits. Even though phonological errors are a natural part of the developmental process, visual motor skills should be examined if the child’s speech sound development falls within a very low percentile.

Reference:  Ercan, Z. G., Yilmaz, Ş., Taş, M., & Aral, N. (2016). Investigation of Visual Motor Integration Skills in Children With Speech Sound Problems. Perceptual and motor skills, 0031512516664894.

Visual Motor Collection: The 10 visual motor titles includes: Visual Motor Workbook, Visual Motor Exercises, Hole Punch Palooza, Patterns, Follow the Path, VINGO Visual Motor Bingo, Graph Paper Drawings, Letter/Shape Mazes, Grid Drawings and Penguin Pencil Challenges. Get 50% off for this collection of 10 titles via immediate download. FIND OUT MORE.

The post Visual Motor Integration Skills and Speech Sounds appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Color By Copy - Visual Motor and Visual Spatial Activity

Download these free visual motor and visual spatial activities.  Simply color the picture on the right exactly like the picture on the left.  You can download color by copy freebie here http://yourtherapysource.com/freecolorbycopy

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Title: Color Coding
By: Your Therapy Source

Summary: 40+ pages to encourage visual discrimination and visual motor skills with color coding activities.  Find out more at http://yourtherapysource.com/colorcoding.html

 

Lines, Lines and More Lines Free Sample Pages

Here are two free sample pages from the latest download - Lines, Lines and More Lines.  Practice pre-writing strokes and pencil control with this fun packet.  You can get the freebies here http://yourtherapysource.com/linesfreebie.html

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Spring Time Tulips - Finish the Picture

Here is a Spring time freebie to practice visual motor skills and attention to detail with this tulip picture.  Download it at http://yourtherapysource.com/holidayspringfreebie.html

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Download the complete packet of Finish the Picture - Spring Edition here http://yourtherapysource.com/holidayspring.html

Springtime Visual Perceptual Freebie

Download this visual discrimination freebie from Spring Visual Perceptual Puzzles at http://yourtherapysource.com/vpspringfree

You can view the entire Spring Visual Perceptual Puzzle packet at http://yourtherapysource.com/vpspring.html



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Easy Visual Motor Activity

Here is a simple activity to set up that incorporates fine motor and visual motor skills.

1.  Download the template for the activity at http://yourtherapysource.com/freeeasyvisual.html

2.  Ask the child to put stickers in each box.  If you do not have stickers, the child can cut out different shapes.  Glue the shapes in each box.

3.  Ask the child to trace over and around each shape.

That's it!  Super simple with materials that you have around the house or school.

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Visual Motor Bingo:  This download is a collection of 5 different bingo games to print and play. There are game boards for pre-writing skills, shape formation, letter formation (capital and lowercase) and number formation. You can print and create your own dice or use calling cards for the games. For letter and number formation there are two versions - you can trace dotted letters or trace over letters directly. To practice letter/number recognition you can just practice finding the letters/numbers instead of tracing.  FIND OUT MORE AT http://www.yourtherapysource.com/vingo.html

Step By Step Directions for a Mini Snowman Scene

After seeing this artist trading card idea at Art Projects for Kids (excellent website by the way), I thought this would make a wonderful craft projects for children who can benefit from practicing fine motor skills, scissor skills, sequencing, visual motor skills and creativity.

You can download the one page step by step directions fro the Mini Snowman Scene at http://yourtherapysource.com/freesnowmanscene.html.

The added bonus is if you make it artist trading card size you can have the children start a collection of their cards.  You can read more about artist trading cards and download a lesson plan at http://yourtherapysource.com/OTarttradingcards.html.

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Need more step by step projects to practice sequencing, scissor and visual motor skills?  Check out Cut, Sequence, Paste and Draw at http://yourtherapysource.com/cutsequencedrawaz.html and download a free sample page too!

Follow that Monster Visual Perceptual Activity

Challenge visual discrimination, visual spatial relationships and visual motor skills with this free printable.  Download just in time for Valentine's Day at http://yourtherapysource.com/vpvalentinefree.html

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Penguin Pencil Challenges Freebie

Get more information on the latest download - Penguin Pencil Challenges at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/pencilchallengespenguin.html



Here are some free sample pages from Penguin Pencil Challenges to practice visual motor skills. You can download them at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/pencilchallengespenguinfree.html

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"Here Comes Santa Claus" Visual Motor Freebie

Practice visual motor skills and handwriting with this new freebie with a Santa Claus theme.  You can download it at http://yourtherapysource.com/freesantarace.html

Whooooo's There? Visual Motor Freebie

Download this visual motor and visual discrimination freebie at http://yourtherapysource.com/freethanksgivingowls2.html

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Homemade Painting Tools

Create these homemade painting tools with cardboard, scissors and clothes pins.  Children will practice cutting skills, hand strengthening and visual motor skills with this painting activity.  Watch the video at http://yourtherapysource.com/videopaintingtools.html

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Pipe Cleaners and Straws

Here are three fun, unique fine and visual motor activities using pipe cleaners and straws.  Start by having the child cut up straws and some pipe cleaners into smaller pieces.

1. Alphabet:  The straws are the straight lines of letters and the pipe cleaners are the curves.

2.  Modern Colander Art: Stick pipe cleaners into the colander and lace the cut up straws onto the pipe cleaners.

3.  Shapes:  Insert small pipe cleaner pieces into the straws and connect them to make different shapes.  Have fun creating abstract 3D shapes.

Do you have any other suggestions to add?

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Visual Motor Activity with Magnetic Cars

Here is a quick, simple visual motor activity for any of those car loving kids - magnetic cars on the whiteboard. Glue a magnet to the underside of a toy car. Place on whiteboard. That's it, the activity is all set. Here are some ideas to do with the magnetic cars to encourage visual motor skills:

1. Draw a figure 8 racetrack and child can work on crossing midline while driving the car.
2. Draw parking spots and see if the child can follow verbal directions i.e. - drive the red car to the green parking spot.
3. Draw a maze for the car to drive on.
4. Trace letters of the alphabet by driving the cars in the proper form.
5. Have the child draw a road for the car to follow.

Need more visual motor skills check out Visual Motor Workbook at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/visualmotorworkbook.html

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Visual Motor Integration Free Handout

Check out the latest freebie from the What? Why? How? Series 4 on Visual Skills.  This freebie is on Visual Motor Integration.  You can download it at http://yourtherapysource.com/wwh4free.html.