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Hand skill and hand preference in blind and sighted children
1Department of Psychology, University of Delhi, India.
Insights
Congenitally blind and sighted children show similar hand preferences. Sighted children performed better on some hand ability tasks, but both hands were equally capable for all children, suggesting potential for bilateral training.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Motor Control
Background:
- Hand preference and ability are crucial for daily tasks.
- Understanding how congenital blindness affects these skills is important for developmental research.
- Previous research has not fully explored bilateral hand ability in congenitally blind children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare hand preferences and abilities between congenitally blind and sighted children.
- To investigate potential differences in bilateral hand function.
- To explore the implications for developmental interventions.
Main Methods:
- Participants: Congenitally blind and sighted children (ages 6-15).
- Hand Preference: 20-item hand preference inventory.
- Hand Ability: Sorting, finger dexterity, and Minnesota Rate of Manipulation tasks performed with each hand.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in hand preference between blind and sighted groups.
- Sighted children demonstrated faster performance on certain hand ability tasks.
- No significant differences in performance between the left and right hands for either group.
Conclusions:
- Congenital blindness does not alter hand preference development.
- Bilateral hand function appears equipotential, with no inherent advantage of one hand over the other.
- Findings suggest that both hands can be trained for tactile-based tasks in children, regardless of visual status.
Abstract:
Congenitally blind and sighted blindfold children between the ages of 6 and 15 years were compared with each other for hand preferences and hand ability. All the children performed a 20-item hand preference test and every child performed three hand ability tasks: a sorting task, a finger dexterity task, and the Minnesota rate of manipulation task, each separately with the left and the right hand. Results indicated no differences between the hand preferences of the two groups. The sighted children were faster than the blind children on some of the hand ability tasks. There were no differences between the left and right hands for any of the tasks for either group. Results indicate an equipotentiality between the hands and suggest the possibility of training both hands during development on tasks that require tactile ability.
