Visual+~+Deficit+Spatial

Quick Facts - Visual Spatial Deficit  By Hali and Kevin A **visual spatial deficit** is the inability to interpret, organize, analyze, or synthesize the spatial components of a visual message in the absence of visual impairment.

__**Characteristics:**__

Initially:
 * Poor handwriting or artwork
 * Mapping or graphing abilities are weak

Almost Always:

Often:
 * Difficulty with depth perception and measurement
 * Appears to be clumsy


 * Loses place when reading and skips important details
 * Reading level is below average
 * Uses finger to keep place when reading, has difficulty matching letters and figures in correct spaces (letter and number matching activities)
 * Difficulty locating specific words in dictionary or texts
 * Difficulty perceiving spaces and punctuation in written language
 * Pushes the wrong numbers on calculator or phone

Sometimes:


 * Difficulty with time concepts or with passage of time
 * Poor organization of papers

__**Misconceptions:**__

Students with a visual spatial deficit are often perceived as clumsy. They often bump into things, "miss" their seats and fall down, or place things at the edge of tables causing the items to fall. These are caused by the student's difficulty with visual-motor integration, or the ability to use visual cues to guide their movements. This might teachers and classmates the impression that the child lacks social, athletic, and academic abilities. The child often suffers because of these misconceptions. As teachers we should be aware of these misconceptions and do what we can to minimize the consequences by making adaptions to the curriculum and making accommodations for the student.

__**Accommodations for individual student**__:


 * Have the student use outline format or visual organizers
 * Encourage the use of a word processor
 * Have the student use colored overlays when reading
 * Encourage cursive rather than manuscript to reduce reversals, inversions, etc., A peer helper, volunteer, or parent may assist with this task.
 * Have the student use graph paper to assist in lining up numbers on a page,
 * Reduce the number of assigned questions, but retain the level of difficulty
 * Provide oral testing or a scribe
 * Allow blank visual organizers to be brought to a testing situation, and evaluate these organizers if the student does not have time to translate the organizer to written form
 * Accept point-form answers
 * Allow calculator for math activities
 * Limit the amount of visual information presented on the student's test page
 * Consider alternative methods, other than a written test, of checking for understanding of a concept
 * Allow extra time

__**Resources for additional information**__ []

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 * __Curricular modification__**

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 * Use clay or other kinesthetic means when introducing letters in the early years
 * Reduce the amount of visual information the student has to absorb at one time
 * Provide strategies for organization
 *  Have students consistently use a planner or calendar
 * Use concrete, hands-on examples whenever possible when introducing a new concept
 * When writing on chart paper or chalkboard, always read what is being written