Visual Motor Integration
- Written By: Sarah
- Feb 18, 2018
- 3 min read
What is VMI? Visual motor integration (VMI) is the coordination of the brain’s interpretation of a visual input (visual perceptual skills) and a motor skill (gross or fine). This skill allows us to form coordinated movements between our bodies and our eyes. As difficult as it is to identify fine motor skill deficits sometimes and as easy as it is to determine visual acuity issues (think eye doctor, 20/20 charts, corrective lenses, etc) consider how difficult it is to know what our children are actually PERCEIVING in terms of shapes, colors, depth, overlap, orientation, closure, etc. Then imagine trying to coordinate a misperception or visual information with a motor skill like writing or catching a ball thrown to you. Oye!! Now you can imagine how difficult it is for kids with deficits in these areas and also how it can be so difficult for teachers and parents to identity which deficits are at play.
Visual perception and visual motor integration skills are a basic foundational skill right along with sensory processing, primitive reflexes and gross motor skills. Without these foundational and developmental skills nicely building a foundation, we should not expect that our kids will effectively demonstrate higher level skills like fine motor skills, attention, self regulation, impulse control and foresight and planning.
Red flags
So what are some of the “signs” that kids are struggling with VMI?
Poor coordination
Poor handwriting
Difficulty attending to size or baselines with writing
Difficulty cutting on a line
Frequently bumps into things
Difficulty copying from a book or from the board
Awkward replication when copying new shapes and designs
Misaligning writing tasks, such as lining up math problems
How does it develop? Visual motor skills begin developing very early in a baby’s life. Many of the primitive reflexes that we are born with (so much more on this later!) are useful for preparing our bodies for visual motor integration. But, it is a developmentally learned skill. Meaning that it's something babies have to learn by doing and they continue to fine tune this for many, many years. From head and eye movements working together to a baby watching a rattle shake to rocking on hands and knees while looking at their hands or scooting and reaching for a desired toy. These all require visual motor integration and part of why tummy time and floor-time and crawling is so developmentally critical.
So, this isn't the most ideal picture for VMI, it would be better if she was reaching out for the toys. That would be a great example. But, hey, it's my blog and my kid is really cute here so I'm going with it :)
What should you do if you suspect your child/student demonstrates poor VMI? Right away you can start working on some of these ideas mentioned below. If you believe it’s impacting school performance, ask your school IEP team if an OT eval is warranted. You could also ask your primary care physician for a referral for outpatient OT. Sensory Inspired Applications:
Build shapes, letters number out of play doh or Q-tips, toothpicks, etc.
Puzzles
Coloring- Show your child/students how to trace around the edges to further promote VMI skills and to give a visual boundary for the colors
Research currently indicates a correlation between core strength and VMI skills. My current fave is to have kids balance on a therapy ball and point a laser pointer or flashlight at letters on a wall or white board to spell words (great with spelling words!)
Have students lie flat on their backs with a flashlight under a table to do the same as above (scan letters that are taped under there to spell spelling words)
Dropping colored pompoms into small buckets on floor
Mazes
Walk on tape shapes or lines
Hide laminated letters or numbers in a sensory bin and have the kids "build" words or math facts
Seek and find pictures
Crossword puzzles
Water paint chalkboard trace- have kids use water on their finger or paintbrush to erase curved or jagged lines, letters, shapes, numbers, etc.
“How to Draw” books
I Spy games
Connect the dots
Trace on a Magna doodle
Drive toy cars over “lazy 8s”
Use a squirt gun to shoot down army men or plastic cups
As always, these suggestions are merely that. Suggestions. Please feel free to grade the activity up or down to match your child's developmental ability. Also, make it fun for them. Use their preferences to modify the tasks to encourage active involvement through fun. If you find something that works, or if you just try one of these activities in your classroom or at home, I'd LOVE to see it. Snap a pic and send it to me. I'd really enjoy that :)
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