Motor Development and Characteristics of Students with Visual Impairments

Based on

Impact of Vision Loss on Motor Development

By

Chris Strickling

Holistic vs Sequential Learning Seeing the whole picture vs. “stringing beads”

of experience to get an approximated understanding of the whole.

“Vision helps interpret sound and movement experiences, build motivation and anticipation, and fix the world spatially so that sensory information makes sense.” (Strickling, 1998)

Questions to be asked: What are the common characteristics in the

motor patterns of persons with visual impairments?

How are they related to visual impairment? Why are they important? What techniques and strategies can

TVIs/O&Ms use in working with these problems?

Decreased Postural ToneEspecially in the shoulder girdle and

pelvis.Caused by impact of vision loss on

early sensory experiences and the development of reflex activity.

The trunk and extremities are also often affected.

How is decreased postural tone related to visual impairment?

Optical head rightingLabyrinthine righting (righting of head

and neck based on gravity)Equilibrium responses

Why is decreased postural tone important?General muscle weakness and the

inability to establish stability.Stability of the neck and shoulder girdle

especially impacts visual efficiency.Decrease of endurance in performing

complex motor skills ---such as reading braille.

Sensory IntegrationLearning to use all of the senses

together to form a meaningfully whole interpretation of the environment.

Decreased or inaccurate interpretation of proprioceptic information.

Proprioception – the ability to perceive and interpret the influence on gravity or pressure on one’s body and awareness of body parts.

Learning the connection between the “feel” of a position and the visual appearance of that position is critical.

Decreased or inaccurate interpretation of vestibular information. Vestibular understanding of the movement of

one’s body through space. Perhaps THE single most important motor

area for persons with visual impairments. Problems with understanding vestibular input

contribute to problems with muscle tone, bilateral integration, and midline orientation.

Problems with tactile processing:Tactile defensiveness

Avoid tactile contact with novel objects Perform perseverative and non-purposeful

actions on objects Reject specific textures and temperatures Others

Thought to be caused by lack of integration of early protective tactile defenses. Insecurity with environmental exploration. Avoidance of prone positioning. Over protection

Problems with gait:Feet widePelvis rotated forwardOften exhibit exaggerated weight shift

because of proprioceptic problems.Deviation of the head from midline.

Shoulders, Arms, and HandsPoor proximal controlWeakness of arms and handsDecreased grasp strengthDelayed development of pincer grasp

Problems crossing midlinePoorly developed arch of the hand due

to lack of arm weight bearing and manipulation of objects

Limitation or late development of wrist rotation

Inefficient hand manipulation

Legs and FeetExternal rotation from the hipWidened base of support

PositioningStability is critical to efficient visual

functioning.Especially true of the shoulder girdle.

FlickingCauses EEG changes that either calm

or excite the central nervous systemThose with injuries or disease

processes closer to the brain exhibit more mannerisms.

For more information on this topic, see:

Strickling, C. (1998). Impact of vision loss on motorDevelopment: Information for Occupational and Physical Therapists working with visual impairments. Austin, TX:

Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

http://www.tsbvi.edu