Your child’s ability to see and interact with the world around them is vital for their overall development and independence. But some children have trouble with these skills, which can lead to challenges in school, playing with friends, and taking care of their own needs. Pediatric occupational therapy is a great solution for this because it helps children build the key visual and coordination skills they need to be able to participate in daily activities more easily. Keep reading to learn what visual motor skills are, why they are important, and how our occupational therapists can help your child strengthen them.
What Are Visual Motor Skills?
Visual motor skills include the ability to see things in the environment and coordinate the movement of the body to interact with them. For example, when you drive a car, you can see when another car is moving into your lane and move your foot to the brake to slow down so you don’t crash. Not only can you do the action of braking, but you likely don’t need to stop and think about it—you know exactly how and when to move to control your car.
Even though children don’t drive cars, they still need visual motor skills for many activities in their lives. Climbing playground equipment, playing sports, and getting dressed all require strong visual motor skills to coordinate the right movement of the body. Without them, children can have trouble participating in these activities and even have frequent accidents.
How Visual Motor Skill Delays Can Impact a Child’s Development
Visual motor skills are complex and involve many different abilities like remembering things you’ve seen before, noticing differences, and finding something specific in a crowded area. These abilities make it possible for children to learn and grow. For example, children with visual motor skill delays can struggle with reading and writing if they can’t remember what the letters of the alphabet look like. These struggles can build up over time and lead to challenges in school and adulthood if they are not addressed as soon as possible.
Signs of Visual Motor Skill Delays in Children
Some common signs that a child may have a visual motor skill delay include:
- Difficulty writing letters and maintaining consistent spacing
- Trouble drawing simple shapes like squares or triangles
- Struggles with coloring within the lines on a coloring page
- Difficulty buttoning shirts, tying shoelaces, or using utensils
- Trouble catching or throwing objects accurately
- Struggles with organizing their personal space or items
- Difficulty participating in sports or other physical activities
- Trouble connecting the pieces to complete a puzzle
- Struggles with following a moving object with their eyes
How Occupational Therapy Helps Children Build Visual Motor Skills
Occupational therapy uses proven, play-based treatment methods to help children build the vital skills they need to handle daily activities. We work with children on visual motor skills and hand-eye coordination to improve their success in school, at play, and with taking care of their own needs. We can identify the specific abilities your child is struggling with and use simple exercises and activities to empower them to handle daily activities like reading, writing, learning, and self-care more easily.
Schedule an Evaluation
If your child is struggling with visual motor skills, Little Hands at Play can help. We’ll work with your child to build their skills and improve their overall quality of life. Call us at (479) 226-3409 to schedule an evaluation with our occupational therapists today.
