This article presents an intersubjective developmental theory that focuses primarily on the development of the interworld between caregiver and infant and uses it to integrate and interpret the seemingly incoherent and contradictory research findings on the interactions between mothers and their infants with visual impairments. Implications for…

This study found that the emotional facial expressions of 10 congenitally blind and 10 sighted children, ages 8-11, were similar. However, the frequency of certain facial movements was higher in the blind children than in the sighted children, and social influences were evident only in the expressions of the sighted children, who often masked…

This article reviews research on the biomechanical elements related to the most commonly used long cane technique, the two-point touch, by individuals with blindness or low vision. The use of several natural biomechanical tendencies supports the contention that the technique is inherently efficient. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Evaluation of the verbal interactions, especially maternal directives, among three mothers and their young blind children indicated that counting single occurrences of directives ignores the possible adaptive role that directive sequences may have in conversational interactions with blind children. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

This study investigated the effects of a program that taught oral hygiene skills to students with visual impairments using group instruction and individual coaching. The results showed that the program enhanced the oral hygiene skills of the three participants significantly, and its effectiveness lasted for at least two months after the…

This article describes use of the 16 cubes game with 30 students (ages 7-11) born with blindness or low vision and attending a special school in Turkey. The game develops participants' spatial skills as he/she sorts cubes of various textures into large cardboard stands. The game requires constant physical motion by the child while orienting to the…

This qualitative study of rocking in four congenitally blind children, ages 10 to 13, used in-depth interviews, observations, psychomotor assessments, and reviews of school and other records. Findings revealed similarities in the children's early medical histories, delays in motor development, constraints on vigorous movement, and limited peer…

This Australian study compared effects of relative-size magnification and relative-distance magnification on the reading rates of 24 adults with normal vision and 22 adults with low vision. For the subjects with low vision, the magnification method did not affect their reading rates, although subjects with normal vision showed slower reading at…

This study of 12 individuals with blindness or low vision extended earlier studies by Morton Heller concerning speed and accuracy of reading noncanonical (tilted) braille text. Results were similar for Heller's original character set (B-J), but the effect of orientation was reduced with other letters and whole words, especially for experienced…

Analysis of interviews and time-diary protocols with 48 students (16 blind, 16 low-vision, and 16 sighted), ages 15-21, and their parents focused on four lifestyle areas: academic involvement and performance, daily living and personal care activities, recreation and leisure activities, and work and vocational experiences. Similarities and…

Comparison of two strategies--manual guidance only and manual guidance plus verbal prompts--with 6 students (ages 9 to 19) whose multiple disabilities included total blindness and severe mental retardation found that prompting methods that require shifting verbal information to the performance of a manual task may interfere with the learning of…

Two levels of education (high school or less, or training beyond high school) and nine content scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 were used to predict employment-related outcomes of 109 blind adults. Education, anger, cynicism, obsessiveness, and family problems were significant predictors of employability. Self-esteem,…

This article reports on a method for calculating the space-saving capacity of all Grade 2 braille contractions and the literary braille code as a whole. The study found that, contrary to the widespread belief that contracted braille saves 31% over print, the actual text reduction is about 20%. (Author)

The ability of 16 school-age children with visual impairments and their sighted peers to recognize faces was compared. Although no intergroup differences were found in ability to identify entire faces, the visually impaired children were at a disadvantage when part of the face, especially the eyes, was not visible. Degree of visual acuity also…

Verbal and figurative classification tasks were presented to 30 blind and 30 sighted children (ages 6 to 11). Although younger blind children were significantly less efficient on tasks, older ones reached or were close to the level of their sighted peers. Analysis illustrates how the blind children adjusted their conceptual knowledge to their…