Impact of Congenital Visual Impairment on Early-Life Exploration: Behavioral Analysis of Temporal and Motor Parameters During a Reach-to-Grasp Playful Task

Petri Stefania ^1,2, Riberto Martina ¹, Setti Walter ¹

⁰U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy.

Developmental Science +

|

August 24, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Visually impaired (VI) children take longer to grasp objects and show different movement patterns compared to sighted children. Early visual experience is crucial for developing effective reach-to-grasp skills.

Area Of Science

Developmental Psychology
Neuroscience
Ophthalmology

Background

Reach-to-grasp is a vital infant developmental milestone.
Visual input is critical for developing these motor skills.
Congenital visual impairment's impact on early reach-to-grasp is understudied.

Purpose Of The Study

Compare reach-to-grasp in sighted and visually impaired infants/children.
Investigate temporal and motor parameter differences.
Hypothesize challenges for visually impaired children in movement planning and execution.

Main Methods

Compared sighted (S) and visually impaired (VI) participants.
Assessed reach-to-grasp of spheres of varying sizes.
Recorded movement time, pick-up time, body midline crossing, and hand preference.

Main Results

VI children had longer pick-up times.
VI children showed less one-handed body midline crossing for lateral objects.
VI children lacked hand preference, unlike sighted peers.

Conclusions

Visual experience significantly shapes goal-directed movement development.
Findings support early, evidence-based rehabilitation for visual impairments.
Highlights the critical role of vision in early motor skill maturation.

Keywords:

bimanuality body‐midline crossing development early life stages reach‐to‐grasp behavior visual impairment