The relationship between a teacher check list and standardised tests for visual perception skills: A South African remedial primary school perspective

Occupational therapy in remedial education settings has been questioned by the South African Government as they see occupational therapy as a costly service and thus has challenged occupational therapy clinicians’ approach to assessment. This study was undertaken to establish whether the results of standardised tests of visual perception skills, relate to teachers’ observations in respect of primary remedial school age children (six to eleven years) attending a short term remedial school because of low scholastic achievement despite having average or above intellectual ability. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – Revised, the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-2, the Jordan Left-Right reversals Test and a teacher check list as the only teacher observation source, were used. Scores on the visual perceptual tests and the teacher check list ratings were compared using Spearman’s rho coefficient. The overall scores on the visual perceptual tests and teachers’ observations were found to be related; however this was often not the case between the subscales of the visual perceptual tests and the teacher check list. The check list may be a valuable tool in identifying children with visual perceptual difficulties but further development and standardisation is required to establish it as a valid, cost-effective measure of visual perception for use in schools where there is a limit on occupational therapy time.