VISUAL PERCEPTION DEVELOPMENT

3 - 4 YEARS

Visual Perception is the way in which the brain interprets the messages which it receives through the eyes. Visual Perception is the umbrella term used and covers several visual functions which work together to make up Visual Perception. Briefly, these subsections are

• Visual Discrimination:
  This is the ability to see similarities and differences between objects, pictures and symbols. This enables the child to sort , match and categorize. It is an essential skill for reading, spelling and maths

• Visual Foreground and Background Perception:
  This refers to the ability to focus on a particular object while all other objects fade into the background. it is an important function in reading, maths and all other academic learning areas.

• Visual Seriation:
  This is the ability to arrange objects in increasing or decreasing order. It involves understanding the meaning of words and concepts such as few, more, most, etc.

• Visual Memory and Recall:
  The ability to remember what has been seen, and recall this information at a later stage. It involves the ability to remember shape, colour, size and sequence. Visual memory and recall are essential for reading and writing.

• Visual Sequencing:
  The ability to arrange objects, pictures, shapes letters and numbers in a logical order.

• Part/Whole and Whole /Part Relationships:
  This is the ability to break up visually presented items into it’s component parts and then put them back together again. This skill is essential for reading, spelling and maths.

THREE YEARS (approximately)

• Is able to paint on paper with designs being formed.
• Able to mould clay into balls, cakes and strips and is able to name his products
• Hands are able to move away from the task at hand while the eyes remain on the task.
• Is able to move his eyes up and down the tower that was built and inspect it with his eyes.
• He works from the centre and returns to the centre of the task.
• Is able to move eyes from a model to his task and back again to the model while his hand is waiting for the next move.
• Recognizes landmarks when away from home.
• An awareness of light and darkness is evident at this stage
• Shows surprise when he meets someone who is not usually at the new place eg. meets the grandmother at the shops and is surprised as she is usually at her own home.
• Enjoys having all the wheels on the car and is upset when one is lost as it disturbs the “wholeness” of the car.
• Shows a new interest for the colour blue.

FOUR YEARS (approximately)

• Understands large concepts such as the world, the sky and the ocean.
• Understands the whole picture or situation and can see it in a flash.
• Enjoys symmetrical patterns and shapes.
• Can look both ways when crossing a street.
• Is able to climb fences and trees to see what is happening on the other side of the fence.
• Prefers to go home using a “different” route.