What is Visual Memory?
Memory is the general process by which knowledge is encoded, stored, and later retrieved within the brain. More specifically, visual memory involves the ability to store and retrieve previously experienced imagery obtained by the optical nerve (sensations/ perceptions) when the original input or stimulus of the imagery is no longer available or present.
In other words, visual memory allows a person to recreate imagery within their mind as a recollection of the stimulus – such as a letter, word, picture, or landscape – once the stimulus is no longer able to be seen.
Types of Visual Memory
Scientists have classified visual memory into three distinct categories: iconic memory, visual short-term memory, and visual long-term memory.
Iconic memory, also known as visual sensory memory, is a unique, an incredibly short-lasting memory type that can best be described through an example. If you have ever been into a haunted house during the Halloween season that has strobe lights, you may remember that when the light flashes in a dark room it provides a moment of perception of the room, and your mind will be able to retain that perception for about half a second. Another example is taking a picture in a dark room with the flash on, which will create the same effects.
Visual short-term memory (STM) retains visual information for only a few seconds so that it can be utilized in the function of ongoing cognitive tasks. Visual STM is longer-lasting and more durable than that of iconic imagery. It plays a big role, for example, in the task of driving a car by remembering road signs that you have passed and retaining an understanding of the location of other vehicles around you.
Visual long-term memory (LTM) is the ability to recall images or places that have been viewed in the distant past. Whether it is retaining the memory of the directions to get to a restaurant you visited last week or a fond recollection of the view of a gorgeous hike you took years ago, your visual LTM is driving this ability.
How Does Visual Memory Work?
Put into a very simple way, visual memory and visualization skills are our ability to interact with symbols, images, and words. The process includes our retina receiving visual input or stimuli which flows into the brain, and from the brain the shapes and colors are retained or recalled.
Visual memory is incredibly important to learning and education as at least 80 percent of what we learn is visual. It is a critical factor in reading, spelling, and writing allowing an individual to readily reproduce a sequence of visual inputs.
Skills in visual memory in school can help with:
– Spelling and remembering sight words
– Reading and reading comprehension
– Recognition of letters and numbers
– Quickly copying notes from a board
– Forming a mental image of a word, like seeing a picture of a dog in their head when they see or read the word “dog”
Visual memory is also clearly important for situations outside of school including:
– Remembering location of important items (shoes, phone)
– Ability to give directions
– Remembering phone numbers
– Recalling memories
How to Detect Visual Memory Issues
Someone that may have problems with their visual memory may display the following signs:
– Individual may have difficulty copying words and images
– Difficulty copying and recognizing numbers, letters, or symbols
– Slow at writing and reading
– Bad reading comprehension or difficulty remembering details
– Poor spelling
– Sounding out every word when reading
– Poor math skills
– Mixing up common letters like ‘p,q’ and ‘d,b’
Just like all other learning disabilities, it is critical to have a professional test the individual experiencing difficulty. The sooner the issue is diagnosed, the sooner solutions can be implemented.
How Do You Improve Visual Memory?
If you or someone you know is having trouble with visual memory, there are a variety of exercises and games to help strengthen the skill.
Some ideas to get started include:
– Memory games that include words
– I-Spy game
– Attempt to visualize something unusual – start with a word like “alien” then describe what you see
– Recall what happened during the day
– Look at pictures/ paintings, take them away, then try to describe what you saw
– Rhyming games
– Matching game (multiple card pairs face down, player turns over two at a time and attempts to find its match)
Help and Resources
Developing the skill of visual memory is incredibly important for the successful progress in reading and writing for all new learners. If you feel that a loved one or family friend could use a guide to become more proficient in visual memory, send them over to the professionals at the Colorado Reading Center for testing and learning resources. Our clinicians help students of any age and welcome all inquiries – take a look at our website or give us a call for more information!
What Is Visual Memory—Why It Matters for Reading and Learning
/in General /by Robert WWhat Is Visual Memory—Why It Matters for Reading and Learning
Visual memory is our ability to create and recall mental images. It lets us picture things in our mind—like a face, a place, or even a word. When a child remembers what a letter looks like, or can imagine the word “dog” and picture a furry friend, that’s visual memory at work.
The Power of the Pencil: Why Handwriting Still Matters
/in General /by Robert WThe Power of the Pencil: Why Handwriting Still Matters
In a digital world, it is easy to assume typing skills have replaced the need for handwriting. However, research tells a different story and demonstrates just how essential handwriting is for developing minds.
Recommended Games and Tools for Building Reading Skills
/in General /by Robert WAt Colorado Reading Center, we believe that building strong reading skills starts at home. The following games and tools are ones we regularly recommend to families because they support phonemic awareness, memory, sequencing, vocabulary, and cognitive flexibility in fun and engaging ways. These are great, fun ways to develop early literacy skills.
These are affiliate links, which means CRC may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through them. This comes at no extra cost to you and helps support our ongoing work with students. Shopping on Amazon? Use our link to support CRC at no extra cost!
Games for Building Literacy and Brain Power
Books That Boost Early Literacy
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The Importance of Vocabulary for Reading Comprehension
/in CRC Program, General, The Science of Reading, Tips & Tools for Home /by Robert WWhen it comes to reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge is essential. Without a strong vocabulary, readers may struggle to make sense of the texts they encounter. But why is vocabulary so important, and how can parents and educators help build it effectively?
Vocabulary: The Key to Unlocking Meaning
Research shows that a rich vocabulary enhances both basic understanding and deeper comprehension. Readers use vocabulary to grasp the literal meaning of a text and to infer hidden messages. Both types of understanding depend on a reader’s knowledge of words.
Vocabulary, Mental Imagery, and Cognitive Development
Mental imagery strengthens the connection between vocabulary and comprehension. Descriptive words help readers create pictures in their minds, making the text more engaging and easier to remember. For instance, phrases like “lush forest” or “towering skyscraper” trigger vivid mental images, enhancing understanding and creating a richer reading experience.
Building Vocabulary: Strategies for Success
Here are some practical strategies to support vocabulary development:
Long-Term Benefits of a Strong Vocabulary
A strong vocabulary doesn’t just support reading comprehension—it’s a lifelong skill. From academic success to career readiness, vocabulary enables individuals to express themselves clearly, understand complex ideas, and engage with the world. It also enhances critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, which makes it a vital part of overall learning.
Final Thoughts
Building a strong vocabulary is an investment in a child’s success. By creating word-rich environments at home and in the classroom, parents and educators can empower young readers to thrive. Incorporating mental imagery techniques can make reading more vivid and memorable and turn every book into an adventure. The more words a child knows, the more opportunities they have—in books and in life.
If you or your child needs help with Reading Comprehension, we can help! Reach out to learn about our ReadingFish program for reading comprehension today!
The Building Blocks of Reading: Mastering the 44 English Phonemes
/in General, The Science of Reading /by ColoradoReadingThe English language is built on 44 distinct sounds, or phonemes, that form the foundation of how we read and speak. While this may seem like a manageable number, the combinations of these sounds create endless possibilities for words. For emerging readers, the journey begins with identifying, articulating, and blending these sounds to form words.
From Sounds to Symbols: The Basics of Reading
Step 1: Recognizing and Naming Sounds
From a young age, children naturally begin to recognize and produce the sounds that make up spoken language. They then connect these sounds to labels, such as recognizing that the letter ‘a’ says the sound /a/, like in “apple.” This process, known as phonemic awareness, sets the stage for reading.
Step 2: Linking Sounds to Symbols
The next challenge is associating each sound with a visual representation—a letter or group of letters. This process involves three essential components:
This connection between sound, symbol, and label forms the foundation of reading and writing.
The Complexity of English Sounds
Vowels and Consonants
Together, these letters create the basis for English sounds, but additional techniques are needed to cover all 44 phonemes.
Digraphs and Letter Combinations
To represent extra sounds, letters are combined into digraphs where two letters identify and represent a new, distinct sound. Examples include:
Short and Long Vowels
Each vowel has a short and long sound. For instance:
While the short sounds are represented by just the letter, the long sounds often involve multiple spellings. Weigh and way use different letters to spell the same sound /ae/, this adds complexity for learners.
R-Controlled Vowels
When vowels pair with the letter “r,” they take on unique sounds:
Additional Sounds
English includes other sounds, such as:
These varied phonemes—and their often unpredictable spellings—require extra attention from both learners and instructors.
The Challenges of Sound-Symbol Association
For emerging readers, associating sounds with their corresponding symbols can be a hurdle. The same sound may have multiple spellings, and the same letter combination can produce different sounds. For example:
Additionally, individual learners face unique challenges. Some may struggle with auditory processing, making it difficult to distinguish sounds. Others may have trouble recalling letter names, shapes, or corresponding phonemes. These challenges highlight the importance of patience, creativity, and positive reinforcement in teaching.
Tips for Supporting Emerging Readers
Early Detection and Signs of Dyslexia
/in General /by ColoradoReadingIdentifying Dyslexia from Preschool to High School: Key Signs and Early Intervention
Dyslexia is one of the most common learning differences, affecting as many as 1 in 5 children in the United States. Since early intervention is crucial for helping individuals overcome reading and writing challenges, recognizing the signs of dyslexia at different stages of childhood can make a lasting difference. While dyslexia doesn’t go away, understanding its early markers helps children receive appropriate interventions to succeed academically and personally.
Signs at Every Stage
Many children with dyslexia go undiagnosed, especially if they are bright and develop coping strategies early on. This makes it essential for parents, educators, and healthcare providers to understand the signs of dyslexia and seek intervention early.
Dyslexia can affect children at all stages of their education, from preschool through high school, with different challenges emerging at each level. While every child is different, there are common signs to look out for. Recognizing these signs early allows for timely intervention, which can make a world of difference in a child’s academic and personal life.
Preschool (Ages 3–5): Early Language and Pre-Reading Skills
Dyslexia can begin to show as early as preschool. Although children at this stage are not yet reading, there are language and early literacy indicators that may suggest a child is at risk for dyslexia.
Signs to Look For:
Preschoolers with dyslexia might struggle with phonemic awareness, which is the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in words. This can result in difficulties with rhyming or segmenting words into syllables—skills that are fundamental for reading later on.
Elementary School (Ages 6–11): Learning to Read and Write
Elementary school is typically when dyslexia becomes more apparent because children are expected to begin reading, writing, and spelling with increasing proficiency. At this stage, children with dyslexia may begin to fall behind their peers in these areas.
Signs to Look For:
Children in this age group may also struggle with reading fluency, reading comprehension, and retaining information they’ve read. Dyslexia at this stage can cause significant frustration, leading children to avoid reading and writing tasks.
Middle School (Ages 11–14): Increased Academic Demands
As children move into middle school, the academic demands increase, and the emphasis shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. Students with dyslexia at this stage might struggle to keep up, especially in subjects that require extensive reading or written responses.
Signs to Look For:
Middle school students with dyslexia may find it harder to manage the volume of reading across subjects like history, science, and English. They may also have trouble keeping up with written assignments, even if they understand the material orally.
High School (Ages 14–18): Advanced Reading and Writing Challenges
By high school, the demands for independent learning, advanced reading comprehension, and essay writing increase. Students with dyslexia often face significant challenges, especially if they haven’t received adequate intervention earlier in their schooling.
Signs to Look For:
At this stage, many high school students with dyslexia may have developed coping mechanisms, but these often break down as the workload increases. Without appropriate accommodations, such as extra time on tests, assistive technology, or structured literacy intervention, students may continue to struggle academically.
The Importance of Early Identification and Intervention
Early identification and intervention for dyslexia are critical for improving a child’s reading and writing skills, as well as their overall academic success. Research shows that the earlier dyslexia is identified, the more effective interventions can be in helping children close the achievement gap with their peers.
Effective interventions for dyslexia include:
Schools, parents, and specialists can work together to ensure that students receive the support they need, whether through formal IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) or 504 Plans that provide necessary accommodations and interventions.
Conclusion
Dyslexia is a lifelong condition, but with proper support, children and adolescents with dyslexia can thrive academically and personally. Recognizing the signs early—whether in preschool, elementary, middle, or high school—empowers parents and educators to provide timely, targeted interventions that make a real difference in a child’s life.
Sources:
What is Multisensory Instruction?
/in The Science of Reading /by Robert WWhat is Structured Phonics versus Whole Language?
/in The Science of Reading /by ColoradoReadingWhat is Structured Phonics vs. Whole Language?
There has been a long-lasting debate among academics regarding the most effective method in teaching students how to read. The dispute between believers in structured phonics verses those in support of the whole language approach began as early as the 1820’s and culminated in the United States in 1987 when the state of California, as part of the new language-arts curriculum, passed bills favoring the whole-language approach over basic decoding skills.
What are these two radically different approaches? Why did the two approaches create the “Reading War”? Read on for a deep dive into the conflict that helped define modern reading instruction.
Structured Phonics Instruction
Phonics instruction lays its foundation in teaching letter-sound relationships. In essence, phonetic-based reading attempts to break written language down into small and manageable components. Learners correlate certain letter symbols with their respective sounds allowing them to piece them together to create words, or in the case of reading, deconstruct a word into the various parts then weave the sounds together to form a pronounceable word (also known as decoding).
For example, a student will be taught that individual letters have a specific sound such as the letter ‘B’ saying ‘buh’ /b/ not its name “bee”. This will happen for the rest of the letters in the alphabet, so when a student is presented with the word “bat” – they will be able to break it down into its parts and sound it out correctly: “buh..aaa..tt – bat”
Later in the phonetic instruction process, students will learn that small groups of letters can be linked together in patterns which will always say the same sound such as “tch, dge, ng”.
Phonetic instruction is a methodical approach to analyze sounds, letters, and ultimately words.
Whole Language Instruction
Whole language instruction differs drastically by attempting to teach words and sentences as whole pieces of language – words are not systematically analyzed or pulled apart as they are in phonics instruction. Those that believe in whole language instruction argue that language should not be broken down into letters and decoded, but instead language is a complete system of meaning with words functioning in relation to each other in context. In other words, the most important focus should not be on sounds at all but primarily on the meaning and context.
The whole language approach was defended on rational grounds in the 1800’s in the Worcester primer: “It is not very important, perhaps, that a child should know the letters before it begins to read. It may learn first to read words by seeing them, hearing them pronounced, and having their meanings illustrated; and afterward it may learn to analyze them or name the letters of which they are composed.”
The three arguments used to promote whole language instruction are:
1) Reading time does not depend on word length; therefore, word recognition must not rest on the systematic breakdown of words. This, however, has been proven incorrect as our brain processes all letters simultaneously, not one at a time.
2) We are slightly faster at reading words in lowercase than in uppercase; thus, it is the contour of letters and the resulting contour-specific signature of each word which is most important in reading. The contour is lost in upper case letters, which are all the same size, so our reading speed is reduced. But this is incorrect understanding because if we actually used contour to identify letters, we would be unable to read the upper-case letters at all, let alone at a slower pace.
3) Typographical errors that respect the overall contour of a word is harder to detect than those that violate it. An example is in the word “test”, where an error of “tesf” is harder to identify than an error of “tesq” where the ascending letter “t” has been replaced by another ascending letter “f” and a descending letter “q” respectively. But this is merely due to the similarity between the “f” and the “t”, not a whole-word resemblance.
The Solution
The two approaches to teach reading skills differ dramatically in how learners are instructed to approach unfamiliar printed words. Phonics instructs a learner to try to analyze the word into parts and to sound it out. Whole-language encourages the learner to guess the word from the context of the story or accompanying pictures. Regarding the clues to understanding a word, phonics instruction believes they are found within the word itself, while whole language looks externally or outside the word.
At the end of the day, results matter above everything else. The National Reading Panel found that children who are taught phonics systematically and explicitly make greater progress in reading than those taught with any other type of instruction. This result is corroborated when California students’ test scores plummeted after instituting whole language instruction in 1987 and the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that 3 out of every 4 students were below average for their age.
Phonics instruction is the better instruction method by a long shot. At the Colorado Reading Center, phonics is our focus to implement deep understanding of word decoding in our students. At the same time as phonics instruction, we apply some sight word reading with the most common words found in a particular reading level – this is important so that we get our students, who are generally behind their grade, quickly up to the level they should be to perform well in school.
Help and Resources
Developing the skill of reading is incredibly important for successful progress in school for all new learners. If you feel that a loved one or family friend could use a guide to become more proficient in understanding phonics, send them over to the professionals at the Colorado Reading Center for testing and learning resources. Our clinicians help students of any age and welcome all inquiries – take a look at our website or give us a call for more information!
What is Phonemic Awareness?
/in The Science of Reading /by ColoradoReadingWhat is Phonemic Awareness?
Beginning the learning process of reading can be quite a difficult undertaking. When we think of new readers and how they learn, we usually picture children’s stories and the alphabet, but whether the beginner is a child or an adult that never acquired the necessary skills, the first step towards success is phonemic awareness.
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in spoken words and the understanding that spoken words and syllables are made up of sequences of speech sounds (Yopp, 1992).
Phonemic versus Phonological Awareness
Many people have the incorrect understanding that phonemic awareness and phonological awareness are the same thing, or synonyms of one another. It is important to be clear that although they are similar, they are indeed unique, and this differentiation is key to understanding the development process.
Phonemic awareness is a subset of phonological awareness. Phonemic awareness is more specific and deals with the ability to identify individual sounds within words, called phonemes (“cat…/c/ /a/ /t/”), as well as manipulate them within a given word (“Change the /c/ to a /b/… now the word is bat”). Phonetic awareness is a broader term referring to the more developed ability of being able to hear, identify, and manipulate larger units of sounds such as onsets and syllables and recognition of rhyming words.
For beginning learners, and for the purpose of this blog, we will be focusing on phonemic awareness (the more specific term), as it will be the first skill that needs to be developed.
Why is Phonemic Awareness Important?
Phonemic awareness is critical for identifying reading development in new learners, and it is the most important pre-reading skill that can be developed being central to the role in learning to read and to spell. According to the National Reading Panel, “Teaching phonemic awareness to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction that lacks any attention to phonemic awareness.”
It is well accepted that phonemic awareness is the best predictor of reading and writing success in young children. It helps learners to master sound-spelling relationships, thus improving this skill through structured education is critical for a higher chance of being able to read and write when literacy instruction begins.
Without phonemic awareness, learners will be unable to group words with similar and dissimilar sounds, blend and split syllables, blend sounds into words, break a word down into its sequence of sounds, nor detect and manipulate sounds within words. It is the foundation, so to speak, of a future reader and writer and without it fluency can never be achieved.
How Learners Develop Phonemic Awareness
The development of phonemic awareness is unique for every learner. Some are able to begin growing phonemic awareness naturally through rhyming stories (like Dr. Seuss), through singing and learning nursery rhymes, or even by listening and reading along with a parent or teacher. This can be a very fortunate start to the learning process for some students, but others may need systematic and specific phonemic awareness teaching to grow in their abilities in preparation for writing and reading. There are many online resources as well as professional institutions available for this type of instruction.
Levels of Phonemic Awareness
Marilyn Jager Adams, a specialist in cognition and education at Brown University, created a widely used definition of phonemic awareness in 1990, and developed a basic understanding of the skills leading to phonemic awareness in five distinct levels.
1) Ability to hear rhymes (“dog, fog”) and alliteration (repeated initial sounds in words, i.e “purple poster”).
2) Ability to identify similarities and differences in rhyme and alliteration across and between words.
3) Ability to blend and segment syllables (“rain-bow…rainbow”).
4) Ability to split a spoken word into phonemes (“bag…b-a-g”).
5) Ability to identify and manipulate the sounds in words (“Say ‘dog’. Now change the last sound to a /t/. What word do you have now?”)
Help Developing Phonemic Awareness
Developing the skill of phonemic awareness is incredibly important for the successful progress in reading and writing for all new learners. If you feel that a loved one or family friend could use a guide to become more proficient in phonemic awareness, send them over to the professionals at the Colorado Reading Center. Our clinicians help students of any age and welcome all inquiries – take a look at our website or give us a call for more information!
What is Visual Memory?
/in The Science of Reading /by ColoradoReadingWhat is Visual Memory?
Memory is the general process by which knowledge is encoded, stored, and later retrieved within the brain. More specifically, visual memory involves the ability to store and retrieve previously experienced imagery obtained by the optical nerve (sensations/ perceptions) when the original input or stimulus of the imagery is no longer available or present.
In other words, visual memory allows a person to recreate imagery within their mind as a recollection of the stimulus – such as a letter, word, picture, or landscape – once the stimulus is no longer able to be seen.
Types of Visual Memory
Scientists have classified visual memory into three distinct categories: iconic memory, visual short-term memory, and visual long-term memory.
Iconic memory, also known as visual sensory memory, is a unique, an incredibly short-lasting memory type that can best be described through an example. If you have ever been into a haunted house during the Halloween season that has strobe lights, you may remember that when the light flashes in a dark room it provides a moment of perception of the room, and your mind will be able to retain that perception for about half a second. Another example is taking a picture in a dark room with the flash on, which will create the same effects.
Visual short-term memory (STM) retains visual information for only a few seconds so that it can be utilized in the function of ongoing cognitive tasks. Visual STM is longer-lasting and more durable than that of iconic imagery. It plays a big role, for example, in the task of driving a car by remembering road signs that you have passed and retaining an understanding of the location of other vehicles around you.
Visual long-term memory (LTM) is the ability to recall images or places that have been viewed in the distant past. Whether it is retaining the memory of the directions to get to a restaurant you visited last week or a fond recollection of the view of a gorgeous hike you took years ago, your visual LTM is driving this ability.
How Does Visual Memory Work?
Put into a very simple way, visual memory and visualization skills are our ability to interact with symbols, images, and words. The process includes our retina receiving visual input or stimuli which flows into the brain, and from the brain the shapes and colors are retained or recalled.
Visual memory is incredibly important to learning and education as at least 80 percent of what we learn is visual. It is a critical factor in reading, spelling, and writing allowing an individual to readily reproduce a sequence of visual inputs.
Skills in visual memory in school can help with:
– Spelling and remembering sight words
– Reading and reading comprehension
– Recognition of letters and numbers
– Quickly copying notes from a board
– Forming a mental image of a word, like seeing a picture of a dog in their head when they see or read the word “dog”
Visual memory is also clearly important for situations outside of school including:
– Remembering location of important items (shoes, phone)
– Ability to give directions
– Remembering phone numbers
– Recalling memories
How to Detect Visual Memory Issues
Someone that may have problems with their visual memory may display the following signs:
– Individual may have difficulty copying words and images
– Difficulty copying and recognizing numbers, letters, or symbols
– Slow at writing and reading
– Bad reading comprehension or difficulty remembering details
– Poor spelling
– Sounding out every word when reading
– Poor math skills
– Mixing up common letters like ‘p,q’ and ‘d,b’
Just like all other learning disabilities, it is critical to have a professional test the individual experiencing difficulty. The sooner the issue is diagnosed, the sooner solutions can be implemented.
How Do You Improve Visual Memory?
If you or someone you know is having trouble with visual memory, there are a variety of exercises and games to help strengthen the skill.
Some ideas to get started include:
– Memory games that include words
– I-Spy game
– Attempt to visualize something unusual – start with a word like “alien” then describe what you see
– Recall what happened during the day
– Look at pictures/ paintings, take them away, then try to describe what you saw
– Rhyming games
– Matching game (multiple card pairs face down, player turns over two at a time and attempts to find its match)
Help and Resources
Developing the skill of visual memory is incredibly important for the successful progress in reading and writing for all new learners. If you feel that a loved one or family friend could use a guide to become more proficient in visual memory, send them over to the professionals at the Colorado Reading Center for testing and learning resources. Our clinicians help students of any age and welcome all inquiries – take a look at our website or give us a call for more information!