ERIC Number: EJ1481819
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Sep
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1363-755X
EISSN: EISSN-1467-7687
Available Date: 2025-08-24
Impact of Congenital Visual Impairment on Early-Life Exploration: Behavioral Analysis of Temporal and Motor Parameters during a Reach-to-Grasp Playful Task
Petri Stefania1,2; Riberto Martina1; Setti Walter1; Campus Claudio1; Vitali Helene1; Signorini Sabrina3; Tinelli Francesca4; Serafino Massimiliano5; Strazzer Sandra6; Giammari Giuseppina6; Cocchi Elena7; Gori Monica1
Developmental Science, v28 n5 e70067 2025
Reach-to-grasp behavior is a key developmental milestone in infants, involving coordinated actions such as arm transport, hand pre-shaping, and hand opening and closing. Vision guides the development of these skills, and delays in visual input can impact infants with early visual impairments. However, the effects of a congenital visual impairment on reach-to-grasp behavior in early life remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we compared the reach-to-grasp abilities of sighted (S) and visually impaired (VI) infants and children, focusing on temporal (Movement and Pick-up times) and motor parameters (body midline crossing with one or two hands and hand preference). We hypothesized that VI children would face greater challenges in planning and executing a rapid and accurate reach-to-grasp movement, particularly during the pick-up phase. To investigate this, we asked sighted and VI infants and children to grasp black spheres of different sizes, placed centrally, on the right, or the left of a table in a dimly lit room. Three key findings emerged from our analysis. First, VI children required more time to pick up the spheres compared to their sighted peers. Second, VI children showed a reduced frequency of one-handed body midline crossing when reaching for lateral spheres, but showed an age-related increase, especially when using both hands. Third, VI children showed no hand preference, unlike S children who favored their right hand for crossing the body midline. These results highlight the role of visual experience in developing effective goal-directed movements and support creating early evidence-based rehabilitation procedures. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://youtu.be/bjwkMQmdFoE.
Descriptors: Visual Impairments, Congenital Impairments, Psychomotor Skills, Infants, Children, Child Behavior, Play, Foreign Countries
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1U-VIP Unit for Visually Impaired People, Italian Institute of Technology, Genoa, Italy; 2Department of Informatics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 3Developmental Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy; 4Department of Developmental Neuroscience, IRCCS Fondazione Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; 5Department of Surgical Science, IRCCS Institute Giannina Gaslini, Genoa, Italy; 6IRCCS Scientific Institute E.Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy; 7Rehabilitation Unit for Visually Impaired Children, David Chiossone Foundation, Genoa, Italy

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