Pediatric Occupational Therapy for Visual Motor Skills
in Newport Beach & Torrance, CA
Does your child struggle to keep their handwriting on the line, often miss when trying to catch or kick a ball, or frequently bump into furniture or knock things over when reaching for them? These may be signs that your child is experiencing challenges with visual motor skills.
The pediatric occupational therapists at Stepping Stones Therapy Inc. can help your child strengthen the connection between what they see and how their body responds, so they can move with greater accuracy, control, and confidence.
What Are Visual Motor Skills?
Visual motor skills allow your child’s eyes, brain, and body to work together to plan and carry out movements accurately. These skills depend on several abilities:
- Eye-hand coordination: using what the eyes see to guide hand movements
- Visual tracking: following moving objects or words across a page with the eyes
- Spatial awareness: understanding where the body is in relation to people and objects
- Depth perception: judging how near or far away something is
When your child has difficulty with one or more of these abilities, tasks that require them to coordinate vision and movement may feel harder, and their movements may appear less controlled. A pediatric occupational therapy evaluation can identify the specific skills they need help strengthening.
Signs of Visual Motor Skill Challenges
Your child may be experiencing challenges with visual motor skills if they frequently:
- Struggle with handwriting, drawing, or copying letters and numbers
- Miss the target when throwing, catching, or kicking a ball
- Avoid coloring, puzzles, or crafts that involve eye-hand coordination
- Bump into objects or misjudge distances
How Occupational Therapy Helps with Visual Motor Skills
At Stepping Stones Therapy Inc., our occupational therapists first evaluate your child to determine which visual motor skills need support, then build a customized treatment plan around their needs and goals. Treatment may include:
- Drawing, coloring, or tracing to improve visual accuracy and control
- Tossing beanbags or playing catch to practice timing and judging distance
- Copying movements during games like Simon Says to practice responding accurately to visual cues
- Completing obstacle courses to build spatial awareness and coordination
We also share strategies you can use at home to reinforce your child’s progress between sessions.
Why Choose Stepping Stones Therapy, Inc.
For nearly 20 years, Stepping Stones Therapy Inc. has provided high-quality pediatric occupational therapy to families in the Newport Beach and Torrance, CA, areas. Our therapists take the time to understand how your child learns and moves, building treatment plans around their specific strengths and goals.
Through engaging, play-based sessions and close collaboration with families, we help your child strengthen the visual motor skills they need to feel confident and capable in the classroom, during play, and throughout daily routines.
Reach Out Today to Get Started
If you’re concerned about your child’s visual motor skills, call (949) 955-0010 (Newport Beach), (310) 921-8797 (Torrance), email admin@steppingstonestherapy.org, or fill out our online contact form to schedule an evaluation.