Visual discrimination and visual memory in 5-year-old Children of Semnan (1385)

Introduction: To learn, read and write as the most influential aspect of human civilization, a learner needs to reach to a certain levels of conceptual and sensorial skills, memory (auditory and visual) and intelligence abilities. Verbal visual skills play an important role for learning of reading and writing. The present study was performed to assay some visual skills (discrimination & memory), which are in close relationship with speech and language development in 5-year-old children. the aims of the study were to identify the mean and 95% confidence interval in normal children with respect to in these developmental aspects. The findings of this study would help us in finding the normal ranges of these skills, which are a base for reading and writing, as well as making a screening test to diagnose, train and treat abnormal skills in 5-year-old children. Materials; Methods: In this transactional and descript ional study, 20% of qualified Kindergarteners who had healthy vision, audition and speech, and speaking in Farsi or Semnani language and affiliated to the education and welfare department in Semnan city were selected randomly (total of 2256 persons). They were evaluated by Visual Skills Test. Results: In 5-year-old children who speaking in Farsi, mean levels of tested skills were as follows: visual memory= 3.25, shape visual discrimination= 2.12 and alphabet visual discrimination =1.62. In 5-5.5 year- old children, the mean levels of visual memory, shape visual discrimination and alphabet visual discrimination were 3.24, 2.20 and 1.65, respectively. Finally, these mean levels were respectively 3.27, 1.93 and 1.54 for visual memory, visual discrimination, and alphabet visual discrimination in 5.5- 6 year old children. Conclusion: 5-year-old children were more skilled in shape visual discrimination than that of alphabet visual discrimination. Since the date of birth was an effective factor on children abilities in shape visual discrimination test, the older the child the better the scores. There were no differences between girls' and boys' scores in any of tests.