Visual Perceptual / Visual-Motor Deficit

What Is a Visual Perceptual / Visual-Motor Deficit?

This affects how a person understands and acts on what they see — including the ability to draw, copy, or write. Students with visual perceptual or visual-motor deficits may miss subtle differences between shapes or printed letters, lose their place while reading, struggle with cutting or pencil grip, or have difficulty with eye-hand coordination.

How Porter Academy Addresses Visual Perceptual / Visual-Motor Deficits

• Occupational Therapy directly targets visual perception and ocular motor development as part of every student’s program (see our Occupational Therapy page for more)
• We assess visual perceptual skills directly using the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (TVPS), which helps us understand each student’s specific needs independent of motor skill (see Our Approach for more on our assessment process)
• Handwriting Without Tears, taught through OT, provides explicit, multisensory instruction that supports the visual-motor skills handwriting depends on
• Zoo Phonics builds early visual-letter associations for our youngest learners through multisensory, movement-based instruction
• Visual supports throughout instruction — high color contrast, large print, and clear formatting — reduce visual-processing demands so students can focus on content

Learn More

For general background on visual perceptual and visual-motor deficits, we recommend the Learning Disabilities Association of America.