There are some unusual visual behaviours (ViBes) commonly seen in children with ASD/sensory processing disorder. We have noticed that many parents have noticed these happening but found it difficult to describe them to a health professional or teacher. Sometimes parents aren’t aware that there is a sensory reason behind these ViBes and that they may be a way of the child showing us when they can see and when they can’t see.
- Becomes visually stuck on an object
- Turns their head to look out of the corner of their eye
- Is distracted by moving objects alongside them/in their peripheral vision
- Trails a hand along a wall when walking
- Flaps hands in front of their face/rocks in their chair
- Looks away when they are speaking/when they are being spoken to
- Is more engaged with other sensory activities that vision
- Uses vision on his/her terms – deliberately looking away from or avoiding what you are trying to show them (we call this Visual Avoidance).
These visual behaviours occur as a way of the child regulating sensory input – reducing the amount of visual information they are dealing with at once.
Noticing when they happen can help the parent or teacher understand when the child may not be using their vision effectively. There may be a pattern to the ViBes which can be used to understand how to Make It Easier for the child to see.
It is useful to try and reduce the amount of visual clutter (eg things on the wall, items on a desk, people in a room, background noise patterned walls/carpet/plate/table cloth) to see if this improves the duration of visual attention.
In general, using encouraging voices/tapping/moving the object works to increase the sensory stimulation. It is often better to wait in silence for the child to be able to refresh their visual attention and look at the object. This may take 15 or more seconds.
Make It Easier To See 