Cognitive patterning in congenitally totally blind children.

Because lack of vision is likely to hamper development of articulation and to foster dependence on others, congenitally totally blind children may be expected to show less differentiated cognitive functioning than their sighted peers. This hypothesis was confirmed in a study using a special battery of perceptual and problem-solving tests and clay models of the human figure to assess articulation of body concept. In addition to being inferior in analytical competence, the blind children were strikingly superior to the sighted in capacity for sustained auditory attention and about equivalent in verbalcomprehension ability. The picture in the blind is one of unevenness in level of functioning from one cognitive area to another.