Kinaesthetic sensitivity and motor skills of school-aged children with a congenital visual impairment

This study examined the relationship between kinaesthetic sensitivity and motor development of children with a congenital visual impairment resulting in partial vision (PV) or severe visual impairment (SVI). It was hypothesised that both groups would exhibit reduced scores on: (i) the Kinaesthetic Acuity component (KAc) of the Kinaesthetic Sensitivity Test (KST) and (ii) tasks derived from the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC), when compared to matched peers with full vision. Mean differences in the hypothesised direction were found in the comparisons involving children with SVI on M-ABC tasks, and KAc score differences approached statistical significance. Children with PV did not have reduced KAc scores and were found to have poorer scores on static and dynamic balance tasks, but not manual dexterity tasks from the M-ABC. This may suggest different developmental processes underlying the difficulties in acquisition of motor skills of children with PV and SVI.