Divergente Entwicklung blinder und sehender Kinder in vier Entwicklungsbereichen

Differences in the Body Images of Blind and Sighted Women

Abstract. This study addresses aspects of body image in blind versus seeing women. Eighty-nine congenitally blinded and 153 sighted women completed questionnaires to demographic, health-relevant data, and body image. The two groups did not differ significantly with regard to demographic and health-relevant data. However, significantly more women have children among the sighted group. All women generally presented as clinically inconspicuous in all factors of the body image. A group comparison does not reveal differences with regard to physical contact, vitality, and self-exaltation. However, a significantly lower sexual fulfillment among the blind persons in comparison to the seeing persons, but a significantly higher self-acceptance, is demonstrated. The results are discussed in the context of the previous scarce findings with regard to body image disorders in blind women and finally questioned whether they could benefit the therapy of body scheme disorders in seeing women.

Divergent Development of Manual Skills in Children who are Blind or Sighted

This empirical study compared the average ages at which four children with congenital blindness acquired 32 fine motor skills with age norms for sighted children. The results indicated that the children experienced extreme developmental delays in the acquisition of manual skills and a high degree of variability in developmental delays within and across six categories of fine-motor skills.

Divergent Development of Verbal Skills in Children who are Blind or Sighted

This empirical study compared the average ages at which four children with congenital blindness acquired 29 verbal skills with given age norms for sighted children. The results indicated only small developmental delays in the acquisition of verbal skills in the four children, but a high degree of variability in developmental delays within and across nine categories of verbal skills.

Social-emotional competences in very young visually impaired children

Social-emotional competences are an important developmental domain for children with a visual impairment (VI). Therefore, early diagnosis in this regard is needed to ensure that VI children receive appropriate support. In this study, we used two preliminary German versions of the Infant–Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) and the Social-Emotional Assessment/Evaluation Measure (SEAM) to assess social-emotional competences in 92 VI infants and toddlers aged 12–36 months. Our results indicate that both instruments provide valid, reliable data and are suitable for use in practice. The results still reveal that understanding the emotions of other persons, paying attention to things around them and engaging with their environment, in addition to relating to other peers, seem to be the most important challenges for early intervention in VI toddlers. An additional disability is yet another condition that poses a specific challenge for VI education. The data also corroborate well-known findings from other research on the education of children with different conditions; in particular, the role of parental responsivity for the development of social-emotional competences is confirmed. Overall, the results suggest that the two instruments employed provide important information for educational practice, but further research is needed to demonstrate their full value.

[Do Current German-Language Intelligence Tests Take into Consideration the Special Needs of Children with Disabilities?]

Do Current German-Language Intelligence Tests Take into Consideration the Special Needs of Children with Disabilities? A review of 23 German intelligence test manuals shows that test-authors do not exclude the use of their tests for children with disabilities. However, these special groups play a minor role in the construction, standardization, and validation of intelligence tests. There is no sufficient discussion and reflection concerning the issue which construct-irrelevant requirements may reduce the validity of the test or which individual test-adaptations are allowed or recommended. Intelligence testing of children with disabilities needs more empirical evidence on objectivity, reliability, and validity of the assessment-procedures employed. Future test construction and validation should systematically analyze construct-irrelevant variance in item format, the special needs of handicapped children, and should give hints for useful test-adaptations.

Executive Function and Behavioral Problems in Students with Visual Impairments at Mainstream and Special Schools

Introduction

In this study, executive function of school-aged children with visual impairments (that is, those who are blind or have low vision) is examined in the context of behavioral problems and communicative competence.

Methods

Teachers assessed the executive function of a sample of 226 visually impaired students from mainstream schools and schools for students who are visually impaired, using a German version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-D) and a questionnaire measuring communicative competence and behavioral problems (German version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ-D).

Results

The results showed highly significant differences in all domains of executive function: the visually impaired students consistently scored more poorly compared to a normative sample of sighted children, even when visually impaired students with additional disabilities were not taken into account. A regression analysis revealed the significance of executive function for behavioral problems among students with visual impairments.

Discussion

The findings demonstrate that a wide range of executive function domains that are significant for socioemotional development are not sufficiently developed in many visually impaired students. This lack of development seems to be particularly true for students who attend special schools.

Implications for practitioners

In educational concepts for visually impaired students, a specific and early focus on competencies such as attention shifting and emotional understanding seems to be necessary, especially in the context of inclusion. Moreover, reinforcing communicative competence might also enhance the development of executive function and help to reduce behavioral problems.