Abstract
Few people can imagine life without sight. Vision provides immediate and richly detailed information about the physical world and facilitates communication with eye gaze, facial expressions, and body postures. Without sight, the gathering of information is dependent on conscious attention to other senses and abilities to make adaptations and adjustment to the environment (Lowenfeld, 1981). Psychosocial development in children may be compromised when the rich social input that vision offers is not available.
Whenever we take the trouble to plumb the depths of an experience and extract from it all it contains, the simplest as well as the most hidden, we cease to speak of ourselves and ourselves alone. Instead, we enter the realm of the most precious, the realm of universal experience, which we share with all others.
Jacques Lusseyran, 1973, p. 9
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alexander, F. (1996). Self concepts of children with visual impairments. RE:view, 28, 35–43.
Ammerman, R. T., Van Hasselt, V. B., and Hersen, M. (1986). Psychological adjustment in visually handicapped children and youth. Clinical Psychology Review, 6, 67–85.
Als, H. (1985). Reciprocity and autonomy: Parenting the blind infant. Zero to 3, 5, 8–10.
Beaty, L. A. (1991). The effects of visual impairment on adolescents’ self concept. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 85 (3), 129–130.
Beaty, L. E. (1994). Psychological factors and academic success of visually impaired college students. RE:view, 26, 131–139.
Bretherton, I., and Waters, E. (1985). Attachment theory: Retrospect and prospect. In I. Bretherton and E. Waters (Eds.), Growing points of attachment, Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 501/2, (Serial #209).
Bruner, J. (1982). Child’s talk, learning to use language. New York: Norton.
Burlingham, F. (1965). Some problems of ego development in blind children. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 20, 2, 194–208.
Chase, J. (1986). Application of assessment techniques to the totally blind. In P. Lazarus and S. Storchart (Eds.), Psychoeducational evaluation of children and adolescents with low incidence handicaps. (pp. 67–94 ). New York: Grune and Stratton.
Corn, A. L., and Koenig, A. J. (1996). Perspective on low vision. In A. L. Corn and A. J. Koenig (Eds.), Foundations in low vision: Clinical and functional perspectives (pp. 87–112 ). New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Corsaro, W. A. (1985). Friendship and peer culture in the early years. Stamford, CT: Ablex.
Cutsforth, T. D. (1951). The blind in school and society. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Dote-Kwan, J. (1995). Impact of mother’s interactions on the development of their young visually impaired children. Journal of Visual Impairments and Blindness, 89(1), 47–59.
Dote-Kwan, J., Hughes, M., and Taylor, S. L. (1997). Impact of early experiences on the development of young children with visual impairments: Revisited. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 91 (2), 131–144.
Erin, J. N. (1986). Frequencies and types of questions in the language of visually impaired children. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 80, 670–674.
Erin, J. N., Dignan, K., and Brown, P. A. (1991). Are social skills teachable? A review of the literature. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 85, 58–61.
Erwin, E. J. (1993). Social participation of young children with visual impairment in specialized and integrated environments. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 87 (5), 138–142.
Faye, E. E. (1976). Clinical definition and classification of the low vision patient. In E. E. Faye (Ed.), Clinical low vision (pp. 7–14 ). Boston: Little, Brown.
Fraiberg, S. (1977). Insights from the blind. New York: Basic Books.
Harrell, R. L., and Strauss, F. A. (1986). Approaches to increasing assertive behavior and communication skills in blind and visually impaired persons. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 80, 794–798.
Harter, S. (1982). The perceived competence scale for children. Child Development, 53(1), 87–97.
Hedges, T. R. (1987). Consultation in ophthalmology Toronto, Ontario: Decker.
Heward, W. L. (1996). Exceptional children: An introduction to special education ( 5th ed. ). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Merrill.
Hill, E. W. (1988). Preschool orientation and mobility project for visually impaired children. Final report. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Hill, E., and Ponder, P. (1976). Orientation and mobility techniques: A guide for practitioners. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Hoben, M., Lindstrom, V., Gish, S., Shapiro, S., and Chalberg, C. (1979). Integration of vision impaired students and hearing impaired students in regular classrooms: A report of research. Minneapolis, MN: Hennepin Technical Center.
Imamura, S. (1965). Mother and blind child. New York: American Foundation for the Blind, Research Series #14. Jackson, R. M. (1983). The importance of perceptional activity in the development of visually handicapped infants and preschoolers. In M. E. Mulholland and M. V. Wurster (Eds.), Help me become everything I can be (pp. 63–72 ). New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Kalloniatis, M., and Johnston, A. W. (1994). Visual environmental adaptation problems of partially sighted children. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 88, 234–243.
Kekelis, L. S. (1992). Peer interactions in childhood: Impact of visual impairment, In S. Z. Sacks, L. S. Kekelis, and R. J. Gaylord-Ross (Eds.), The development of social skills by blind and visually impaired students (pp. 1335 ). New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Kekelis, L. S., and Prinz, P. M. (1996). Blind and sighted children with their mothers: The development of discourse skills. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 90 (5), 423–436.
Klein, B., Van Hasselt, V. B., Trefelner, M., Sandstrom, D. J., and Brandt-Snider, P. (1988). The parent and toddler training project for visually impaired and blind multihandicapped children. Journal of Usual Impairment and Blindness, 82 (2), 59–64.
Koestler, E. A. (1976). The unseen minority: A social history of blindness in the United States. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Loftin, M. (1997). Critical factors in the assessment of students with visual impairments. RE: view, 28 (4), 149–160.
Lowenfeld, B. (1981). Berthold Lowenfeld on blindness and blind people: Selected Papers.. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Lusseyran, J. (1973). The blind in society and blindness, a new seeing of the world. New York: Myrin Institute. MacCuspie, P. A. (1996). Promoting acceptance of children with disabilities: From tolerance to inclusion. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority.
McConnell, J. (1994). Parent participation in career planning for adolescents with visual impairments. British Columbia Journal of Special Education, 18 (2), 149–156.
Obiakor, F. E., and Stile, S. W. (1990). The self concepts of visually impaired and normally sighted middle school children. Journal of Psychology, 124, 199–206.
Parmalee, A. (1988). The child’s physical health and the development of relationships. In A. J. Sameroff and R. N. Emde (Eds.), Relationship disturbances in early childhood: A developmental approach (pp. 77–103 ). New York: Basic Books.
Perez-Periera, M. (1994). Imitations, repetitions, routines, and the child’s analysis of language: Insights from the blind. Journal of Child Language, 21 (2), 317–332.
Pogrund, R., Fazzi, D. L., and Lampert, J. S. (1992). Early focus: Working with young blind and visually impaired children and their families. New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Rogow, S. M. (1986). Semantics and the blind child. Semiotica, 62 (3/4), 297–312.
Rogow, S. M. (1987). The ways of the hand: Hand function in blind, visually impaired and visually impaired multihandicapped children. British Journal of Visual Impairment, 5 (2), 59–62.
Rogow, S. M. (1988). Helping the visually impaired child with developmental problems: Effective practice in home, school, and community. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University.
Rogow, S. M. (1997). Language, literacy, and children with special needs. Toronto, Ontario: Pippin Publishing. Rosenblum, L. P. (1997). Adolescents with visual impairments who have best friends: A pilot study. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 91 (3), 224–235.
Sacks, S. Z. (1992). The social development of visually impaired children: A theoretical perspective. In S. Z. Sacks, L. S. Kekelis, and R. J. Gaylord-Ross (Eds.), The development of social skills by blind and visually impaired students. (pp. 3–12 ). New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
Sameroff, A. J., and Emde, R. N. (1989). Relationship disturbances in early childhood: A developmental approach. New York: Basic Books.
Sandler, A. M. (1963). Aspects of passivity and ego development in the blind infant. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 18, 343–360.
Sardegna, J., and Paul, T. O. (1991). The encyclopedia of blindness and vision impairment. New York: Facts on File. Schneekloth, L. H. (1989). Play environments for visually impaired children. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 83(2),196–200.
Sleeuwenhoek, H. C., Boter, R. D., and Vermeer, A. (1995). Perceptual motor performance and the social development of visually impaired children. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 89, 359–367.
Spitzberg, B. H., and Cupach, W. R. (1988). Handbook of interpersonal competence research. New York: Springer Verlag.
Stem, D. (1977). The first relationship: Infant and mother. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Tuttle, D. W. (1984). Self esteem and adjusting to blindness. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
Urwin, C. (1978). Early language development in blind children. British Psychological Society Occasional Papers, 2 (2), 763–787.
Uttermohlen, T. L. (1997). On “passing” through adolescence. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 91 (3), 309–314.
Van Hasselt, V. B. (1983). Social adaptation in the blind. Clinical Psychology Review, 3, 87–102.
Warren, D. (1994). Blindness and children: An individual differences approach. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Williamson, W. D., Desmond, M. M., Andrew, L. P., and Hicks, E. N. (1987). Visually impaired infants in the 1980s: A survey of etiologic factors and additional handicapping conditions in a school population. Clinical Pediatrics, 26 (5), 241–244.
Wills, D. (1979). The ordinary devoted mother and her blind baby. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 34, 31–48.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rogow, S.M. (1999). The Impact of Visual Impairments on Psychosocial Development. In: Schwean, V.L., Saklofske, D.H. (eds) Handbook of Psychosocial Characteristics of Exceptional Children. Springer Series on Human Exceptionality. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5375-2_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-5375-2_20
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3309-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-5375-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive