Many children struggle with learning due to visual cognitive issues—how the brain interprets and understands what the eyes see. These issues often go undetected because typical vision tests only check eyesight and eye health, not how well a child can process visual information. Existing tests that do evaluate this are time-consuming, require special training, and often depend on fine motor skills, which can skew results.
The Solution
This invention introduces a simple, fast, and accessible method to assess a child’s visual cognition. It uses a dot grid and lines to form patterns that a child is asked to redraw—with a twist. They might be asked to flip, rotate, or mirror the pattern. The child can draw on paper or a touchscreen device, and their drawing is automatically compared to the original.
What’s Innovative
Unlike traditional tests that focus on motor skills, this method isolates and measures how well a child can perceive, remember, and manipulate visual patterns. The key innovation lies in evaluating a child’s ability to visualize and transform images mentally—testing visual sequencing, memory, planning, and attention skills in a unique and practical way.
Benefits
- Quick and easy to use, even by non-experts
- Can be done on tablets or paper
- Flags visual cognition issues early—helping children get support sooner
- Requires no expensive equipment or lengthy testing sessions
Broader Impact
This tool could become a vital part of early vision screenings in schools and clinics, helping identify learning barriers in children at a young age. By improving early diagnosis of visual cognitive deficits, it supports better educational outcomes and long-term cognitive development.