Families and school staff can use this one-page visual processing difficulties handout to spot everyday signs, reduce visual overload and decide when extra support may be needed. It is especially relevant for children who struggle with reading, copying, puzzles, worksheets, diagrams, spatial awareness or visually busy classroom tasks.
Used during parent meetings, SEN discussions or home learning conversations, the handout gives a clear shared language for talking about visual processing issues in children. It explains that these difficulties affect how the brain receives, organises and makes sense of visual information, and that they are not the same as an eyesight problem.
The layout is organised into numbered sections covering what visual processing difficulties are, what adults might notice, and how they can appear day to day. Examples include losing place when reading or copying, confusing similar shapes, letters or symbols, struggling with spacing and page layout, taking longer to understand charts, and finding puzzles or construction activities harder.
Practical suggestions are included for both home and school. Parents and carers are encouraged to keep pages uncluttered, use clear print, cover parts of a page to reduce visual overload, break tasks into smaller visual steps, use verbal explanations, and keep spaces and labels simple. School strategies include reducing clutter on worksheets and slides, giving copies of notes, highlighting key information, teaching organisation skills and allowing extra scanning time.
The handout also gives helpful guidance on when to seek support, including if reading, writing or maths are being affected, if a child is avoiding tasks or losing confidence, or if motor, attention or coordination concerns are also present. It notes links with dyslexia, ADHD, autism and developmental coordination disorder, while reminding adults that visual processing difficulties can also occur on their own.
