Visual Closure

Definition

• Visual Closure: The ability to correctly perceive an object or word even when it's partly hidden.
• Essential for quickly making sense of incomplete visual information.

Importance

• Key in reading, writing, and word recognition.
• Useful in locating partially hidden objects in busy environments.
  • Examples: Finding a lost shoe in a messy room or a partially obstructed building.

Difficulties Associated with Visual Closure

• Slow reading and comprehension of text.
• Mixing up words with similar beginnings.
• Difficulty finding items that are partly hidden.
• Trouble selecting the correct book or paper from a stack.
• Extra time needed to sound out previously learned words.
• Challenges with:
  • Jigsaw puzzles.
  • Games requiring guessing an item from a close-up photo.

Activities to Develop Visual Closure

• Identification of Partially Hidden Objects: Naming or matching partly hidden shapes, numbers, or letters.
• Matching Activities: Working with partially omitted pictures or shapes.
• Puzzles: Engaging with block puzzles or homemade puzzles.
• Word Games: Using Scrabble, building words with letters, and unscrambling jumbled words.
• Completion Tasks:
  • Completing sentences or words.
  • Painting or coloring by numbers one segment at a time.
  • Completing partially drawn pictures or designs.
• Connecting Segments: Joining different sections of images to form a complete picture.
• Dot-to-Dots and Word Searches: Developing visual closure through these structured activities.

Note

• These activities are intended to support visual closure development but are not substitutes for professional therapy.
• Consultation with an occupational therapist is advised if a visual perceptual difficulty is suspected.