Perception disorders occur when the body struggles to interpret sensory input, resulting in problems with sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Visual perception problems can include difficulty with object placement or recognizing objects, while auditory perception problems can cause sounds to be perceived abnormally. Sensitivity to touch, taste, or smell can also be affected. These disorders can be recognized as learning disabilities and may require specialized education. Simplifying stimuli and reducing distractions can help correct perception problems.
Perception occurs when the human body interprets the signals it receives from the external environment. Essentially, all of the major senses – sight, hearing, taste, touch or smell – are filtered through perception. When an individual experiences difficulty interpreting any type of sensory input due to nervous system abnormalities, medications, or other factors, perception disorders, often known as sensory processing disorders, result. Particular perception problems include visual perception disturbances and auditory perception disturbances such as seeing objects in the wrong order or being unable to distinguish sounds, respectively. Loss of sensitivity to touch, taste, or smell are also potential perception problems.
Visual perception problems affect how an individual interprets stimuli aimed at the eyes. A common problem occurs in the organization or placement of objects. For example, many individuals reverse letters when reading a word, while others may confuse directions and perceive an object to the left when it’s actually to the right. Similar difficulties might arise in judging the distance between two or more objects or in coordinating movements in response to visual stimuli. Some individuals even have difficulty recognizing objects based on normal characteristics such as shape or size.
Auditory perception problems, on the other hand, tend to hinder the interpretation of the stimuli picked up by the ear. Therefore, sounds are perceived abnormally. An individual may have difficulty resolving both subtle and major differences in sounds, depending on the severity of the disability. The amplification of sounds could also be misunderstood, leading to overwhelming background sounds, closer sounds or sounds that are unusually speeded up or slowed down. Also, sounds in words can be heard out of sequence or mixed together.
The other major senses – taste, touch and smell – can also be classified as distinct perceptual disabilities when sensory input and interpretation are impeded. The main manifestation of these specific problems occurs when sensitivity is increased or decreased. In other words, the ability to taste, feel, and smell is unusually sharp or dull. In such cases, the distinction between various stimuli may be severely impaired or even non-existent.
Perception problems may also be recognized as a learning disability in many regions, thus entitle the afflicted individual to specialized education. For example, an individual who visually confuses the position of letters in a word cannot register and memorize the word correctly in the brain. The resulting dyslexia impairs the individual’s ability to correctly read and understand information. The key to correcting perception problems in a structured environment often lies in simplifying stimuli and reducing external distractions.
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