Your child’s visual motor skills are an important factor in their ability to do everything from playing to participating in school. If your child is struggling with visual motor control, our friendly occupational therapists are here to help. Keep reading to find out what visual motor control is, why it is important, and how it can be improved with pediatric occupational therapy.
What Is Visual Motor Control?
Visual motor control is the ability to coordinate the movements of the body based on the sense of sight. These skills are vital for your child’s ability to move their body effectively, which enables them to grow in many other areas of development. They’re especially important for children who participate in physical activities like sports, dance, or gymnastics.
If you have ever written something down, driven a car, or cooked a meal, you have used visual motor skills. If your child has trouble with hand-eye coordination, being aware of their surroundings, or even remembering their alphabet, it could be caused by a visual motor delay. This can make it more difficult for them to handle daily tasks and do well in school.
Common Signs of a Fine Motor Delay
Common signs of a visual motor delay include:
- Trouble making eye contact
- Difficulty finding nearby objects
- Challenges with writing or drawing
- Poor hand-eye coordination
- Difficulty focusing in busy environments
- Struggles with reading
- Trouble playing sports
- Difficulty remembering left and right
- Trouble recognizing differences and similarities
How Visual Motor Delays Can Impact a Child’s Growth
Children with visual motor delays can have a hard time learning and developing other important milestones. Without visual motor control, a child may struggle writing, getting dressed, exploring their environment, and feeding themselves. This can affect their success in school and lead to developmental delays in other areas such as fine and gross motor control. That’s why early intervention is vital for your child’s growth and independence.
How Can Occupational Therapy Improve My Child’s Visual Motor Control?
Our pediatric occupational therapists are experts in visual motor integration. We use proven therapeutic exercises, techniques, and activities to help children build their visual motor skills for success in every area of life. We can also give you tips and activities you can do at home with your child to help them continue working on their visual motor skills between therapy sessions. With our one-on-one treatment and your support, we can work together to help your child gain more control of their movements and achieve their goals.
Benefits of Pediatric Occupational Therapy for Visual Motor Delays
If your child is struggling with their visual motor control, occupational therapy can develop the skills they need to master it. This can lead to fantastic benefits such as:
- Improved handwriting
- Stronger reading skills
- More independence
- Increased self-esteem
- Better ability to play and explore
- Stronger feeding skills
- Improved quality of life
Schedule Your Child’s Evaluation
Pediatric Therapy Partners has clinics in Bossier and Shreveport, LA, to meet your family’s needs. All you have to do is call us at (318) 746-1199 or fill out the contact form below and our Intake Coordinator will help you schedule your child’s speech therapy evaluation.