Daily Activities and Development in Severely Visually Handicapped Children.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze characteristics of daily activities of severely visually handicapped (VH) children, and to relate these characteristics to measures of their development. The subject population consisted of 16 VH children between the ages of 6 and 11, with visual impairment dating from infancy. All were braille readers. The sample included all VH children in five regional educational districts meeting subject selection criteria for age, degree of visual handicap, and no other handicapping condition. Data were collected through developmental checklists, an interview schedule, and a diary report of the VH children's activities during one weekday. Standardized measures included the Overbrook Scale of Social Competency and the Alpern-Boll Academic and Communication scales. Data were analyzed through correlations, t-tests, and principal components analysis. Data indicated that activities varied inversely along a bipolar dimension with peer and social interaction at one pole and the use of recordings, radio and TV at the other. High levels of peer and social interaction, in turn, were related in a positive direction to positive emotional affect and high scores on measures of mobility, IQ, and social competency. Geographical setting appeared to influence children's patterns of activities. Children in more rural areas spent less time in peer interaction and active behavior, and more time indoors with recordings, radio and TV. A cluster of variables describing the extent of peer interaction related positively to developmental indicators. Variables describing the extent of children's solitary time related negatively to developmental indicators. Variables describing interaction with adults showed a mixed pattern. Few sex differences were found. Age-related data showed older VH children spending more time alone and in solitary activities than younger children. The results suggest that two circular patterns of adaptation may exist among VH children: a detrimental cycle in which children become increasingly isolated from the peer group as they fail to develop the necessary social skills within the group; and a growth cycle in which children's interaction with peers increasingly enables them to develop the social skills needed to maintain their levels of peer interaction. One possible reason for children finding their way into one pattern rather than the other may be whether interaction with peers through neighbors and family is available on an informal, frequent and continued basis. Suggestions for future research included studies in areas such as the following: influence of setting on behavior; use of radios and recordings as a substitute for peer interaction; role of temperament in middle childhood; the nature of neighborhood peer relations in children attending special classes; and strategies by which VH children maintain themselves among sighted peers. This study was descriptive and exploratory in nature. Future studies on the social life of visually handicapped children should involve larger numbers of subjects to allow for intragroup comparisons and the use of multivariate approaches to data analysis. Eventually, data collection procedures might be integrated with program evaluation efforts to provide a continuing flow of data for longitudinal research.