SPATIAL VISION PROBLEMS

Our "internal GPS" What about our spatial vision?

Have you ever stopped to think about how you know where things are around you? Or how your body moves without constantly tripping? Well, that's where our visuospatial skills come into play.

They're like an "internal GPS" that helps us understand where we are and where objects are in the space around us. It's thanks to these skills that we can navigate the world, organize our belongings, and interact with everything around us.

Being aware of where we are physically in space and how the two halves of our body work together is super important for a ton of things: for balance, controlling our movements, good coordination, and even for having an internal idea of which direction to go. And understanding where objects outside of us are also builds on this understanding of directions.

In short, it is about how our brain has developed that internal and external "map" of space so that we can navigate in our environment.

Laterality and directionality: understanding our body and the world!

Within these visuospatial skills, there are two key concepts:

• Laterality : It is the internal awareness of which is our right side and which is our left side. Knowing is my right hand without having to think about it
• Directionality : This is the ability to interpret and project the concepts of left and right outward, into space, and onto other objects. It's what allows us to understand when someone tells us "turn left" or to know that the letter "b" has a right-sided tummy.

Bilateral Integration: Working with Both Hands (and Both Feet)!

And then we have bilateral integration , which is the ability to use and be aware of both sides of our body separately and at the same time. Think about riding a bike: you need to use both legs to pedal, balance with your arms, and be aware of both sides of your body so you don't fall.

What happens when these skills don't work well?

If these capabilities are not developed correctly, we may encounter some difficulties:

• Problems with rhythmic activities and sports. Difficulty keeping time with music or coordinating movements in a sport.
• Lack of coordination and balance. Feeling clumsy and having difficulty staying stable.
• Being a little clumsy. Falling and bumping into things more often than normal
• Difficulty learning which is right and which is left. Constantly confusing them
• Reversing letters or numbers when writing or copying. The "p" looks like a "q," the "d" like a "b," and the "6" like a "9."

Consequences of poor spatial vision: beyond stumbling

If spatial vision isn't well developed, the consequences can go beyond just being a little clumsy. We can observe:

• Low athletic ability. Difficulty with sports that require coordination and spatial awareness.
• Difficulty with rhythmic activities. Dancing or keeping to the beat may be difficult.
• Lack of coordination and balance. Feeling unstable and prone to falling.
• Tendency to work with only one side of the body. Using one hand much more than the other, even for tasks that require both.
• Difficulty learning right and left, which can affect many activities
• Reversing numbers and letters when writing or copying. A major learning challenge.
• Difficulties with spatial and temporal orientation. Confusing the days of the week, months, seasons, or even the hours
• Difficulty with serialization. Ordering things in a logical sequence can be a problem.
• Lack of organization of ideas. Whether speaking, writing, or even drawing

An important note about eye coordination: strabismus!

Remember when we talked about strabismus? This is a condition where your eyes don't look in the same direction. Imagine if one of your eyes decides to look out the window while the other focuses on the TV. This can significantly affect how we perceive space. If your eyes aren't properly aligned, your brain receives two different images, making it difficult to create a three-dimensional picture of the world. This can negatively impact depth perception, distance judgment, and, therefore, our visual-spatial skills. Therefore, untreated strabismus can contribute to coordination and balance problems!

What happens if you have crossed laterality?

Crossed laterality is a form of delateralization, a disorganization between the body and the brain. Imagine that your body and brain have "their own team." Typically, if you're right-handed, you're also usually right-footed, and your dominant eye is also your right eye. Everything is on the same team.

But what about crossed laterality? Well, those two teams don't match up. You can be right-handed, but your dominant eye is your left. It's as if your body and brain can't agree on which side you're on, on who's the "boss."

This can cause a slight conflict in the communication between the body and brain. A disorganization. Although it's quite common, activities that require using both hands and eyes at the same time, such as writing or drawing, cause eye-hand coordination to develop a little more slowly than normal. It's not that there's a serious problem; it's just that your body and brain have their own preferences for "left" and "right."
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Spatial Vision and Laterality Problems

1. What exactly are visuospatial skills?
These are the abilities that allow us to understand and organize the space around us, both the space we occupy with our bodies and the external space where objects are located. They help us understand directional concepts and interact with the world.
2. Why is it important to have good visuospatial skills?
They are crucial for many daily activities, such as moving around without tripping, playing sports, finding our way around, learning to turn right and left, writing, drawing, and organizing our thoughts. They also influence balance and coordination.
3. What is laterality and how does it relate to spatial vision?
Laterality is the internal awareness of the right and left sides of our own body. It is a fundamental basis for directionality, which is projecting these concepts into external space, a key skill in spatial vision.
4. What signs might indicate that someone has spatial vision problems?
Clumsiness, frequent falls, difficulty learning right from left, reversing letters or numbers, problems with rhythmic and sports activities, and difficulties with spatial and temporal orientation.
5. Can strabismus (crossed eyes) affect spatial vision?
Yes! Strabismus makes it difficult for the eyes to work together to create a three-dimensional image of the world, which can affect depth perception and distance judgment, important skills in spatial vision.
6. What is bilateral integration and why is it important?
It is the ability to use both sides of the body in a coordinated and simultaneous manner. It is essential for activities such as cycling, swimming, running, climbing stairs, writing, or even buttoning.
7. Can spatial vision problems affect a child's learning?
Absolutely! Difficulties with laterality and directionality can lead to reversing letters and numbers, problems with spatial organization when writing or drawing, and difficulties understanding temporal and sequential concepts, which can affect academic performance.
8. Can visuospatial skills be improved?
Yes! Through vision therapy and specific exercises, visuospatial skills, laterality, directionality, and bilateral integration can be worked on and improved.
9. At what age are spatial vision problems usually most evident? Although they can be noticed from early childhood with clumsiness or delays in motor development, they usually become more evident during school age when children are faced with tasks that require these skills, such as reading, writing, and sports.
10. What professionals can help with spatial vision problems? Behavioral optometrists specializing in developmental vision can assess and treat spatial vision problems through vision therapy.