Why Does My Visually Impaired Child Do Some Things Over and Over?
Sometimes blind, visually handicapped or multi-handicapped children develop habits – such as rocking, eye poking, or finger flicking – that can be aggravating, embarrassing, or frustrating to you as parents. It is tempting to blame these things on your child’s handicap. But, actually, everyone has some irritating habits – like twirling hair, or wrinkling the nose, or scratching. The difference is that people with sight can see others doing these things or can watch themselves in a mirror and decide on the basis of how they look whether they want to continue doing them. The blind child often keeps these mannerisms because he doesn’t know how they look.
There are many theories on why blind children develop these mannerisms so strongly. Some people say it’s because visually handicapped and multi-handicapped babies are not active enough; others think they haven’t had enough vestibular and kinesthetic stimulation – that is, they haven’t moved around enough to feel their bodies in different positions in space. Others think visually handicapped and multi-handicapped babies push against their eyes because that makes flashes of light (it will for you, too). Or, the mannerisms may seem particularly strong in times of stress – when your child is having a difficult time doing something, or is frightened. Of course, for your visually handicapped or multi-handicapped child, it may also just feel good.
But it doesn’t really matter why your child does what he does. If you think it doesn’t look right, or if you notice dark circles under his eyes, it is important to change the behavior pattern – by correcting him, reminding him about what he is doing, or by shifting his attention to some other activity. A teacher can be a great help to you if you decide you want to change your child’s behavior. But you must remember to be consistent – you cannot correct it one time and not the next, because that gives your child a mixed message. Maybe you mean it and maybe you don’t. And he will keep testing you over and over again until one of you wears out (usually you!).
Suggestions for Raising Young Blind and Visually Impaired Children, By Kay Alicyn Ferrell, American Foundation for the Blind
