What is visual-spatial processing?
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By Kate Kelly
Expert reviewed by Linda Reddy, PhD
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At a glance
Visual-spatial processing tells you how far objects are from you and from each other.
People use visual-spatial processing for many tasks, like tying shoes and dancing.
Visual-spatial trouble can make it harder to learn to read and do math.
You may not have heard of visual-spatial processing. But you’ve definitely used it. It helps adults do things like find their way home from a new neighborhood or merge in traffic. And long before kids are ready to do either of those things, visual-spatial processing skills help them function in the classroom and on the playground.
Visual-spatial processing is the ability to tell where objects are in space. That includes your own body parts. It also involves being able to tell how far objects are from you and from each other.
People use visual-spatial processing skills for many tasks, from tying shoes to reading a map.
People also need visual processing skills to make sense of letters and numbers. For example, look at “6” and “9” and “W” and “M.” They have different meanings depending on how they’re rotated on the page.
Many tasks involve more than one kind of visual processing skill. For example, when kids practice dance moves they see in a TikTok video, they’re using visual-spatial processing skills. But they also have to remember what they saw, which is a different visual processing skill.
Dive deeper
Math and visual-spatial processing
You need visual-spatial processing skills to do math. Here are some ways trouble with these skills can affect math:
Solving equations: It matters how numbers and symbols are placed in relation to each other on a page. For instance, “5 – 3 + 2” has a different answer than “3 – 2 + 5.”
Working with multi-digit numbers: Kids need to align numbers vertically so they can add or subtract multi-digit numbers.
Doing higher math: Trigonometry and calculus involve imagining an object rotating in space.
Get tips on how to talk with teachers when kids have trouble with math.
Physical activity and visual-spatial processing
People coordinate their movements with what they see. Here are some activities that use visual-spatial processing as well as visual-motor skills:
Learning to catch: Kids have to gauge the speed and distance of the ball in flight and adjust their movements accordingly.
Walking through a crowd: People use visual-spatial processing skills to avoid bumping into anyone in a crowded room.
Tying shoes: The visual-spatial part of this task involves understanding how the two laces must be looped together, using both hands.
Learn more about trouble with movement and coordination.
Maps, mazes, and visual-spatial processing
Kids’ activity workbooks are full of games that require visual-spatial processing. For example, to complete a maze, kids have to look ahead and chart the path.
Reading a map also involves visual-spatial processing. People have to look at the map, know where they are in relation to the starting point, and then orient themselves in the right direction.
Learn more about why some kids get lost all the time.
Next steps
Some kids and adults have trouble with visual-spatial processing. But you can work with teachers or doctors to find strategies to help.
Get tips on how to talk with pediatricians about kids’ struggles in school.
See how specialists can find out what might be affecting learning and behavior.
Explore classroom accommodations for visual processing issues.