Visual, Spatial, and Motor Assessment

Abstract

Abstract Visual, Spatial, and Motor Assessment are associated areas of a comprehensive evaluation for an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Visual Spatial skills include visual perception, visual closure, visual processing, and visual figure ground. Impairments may include visual tracking and planning, hand eye coordination, and reading a map. Measures often used to assess visual-spatial skills in ASD include the MVPT-3, Perceptual Reasoning tasks on the WISC-IV, Visual Spatial tasks on the WISC-V, Spatial tasks on the DAS-2 Preschool, The Beery Test of Visual Perception and the Rey Complex Figure Test (RCFT) copy trial, or WMS-IV copy trial for Visual Reproduction. In the motor domain, children may have challenges with oral motor skills related to muscle tone that may include chewing, swallowing, and drooling. Fine motor deficits may relate to fine motor dexterity, handwriting, manipulation of beads or coins and can be assessed by a number of measures. In younger children, cognitive measures like the Mullen Scales include motor skills assessment. The Vineland-2 also provides sections for parents to report motor skills from birth to age six. Additional assessments like the Beery VMI Sequence, informal drawing and writing tasks, and the Grooved Pegboard can provide information on fine motor skills. By assessing these Associated Areas, a clinician can offer more targeted recommendations for treatment of these symptoms that may be present in an individual with ASD. TS - SpringerLink