Adaptive behaviour and quality of life in school-age children with congenital visual disorders and different levels of visual impairment.
Severe congenital visual impairment drags both daily skills and happiness, but skilled ABA can narrow the gap.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bathelt et al. (2019) compared school-age children with severe congenital visual impairment to kids with typical sight.
They measured how well each child could dress, eat, play, and join class activities.
They also asked about happiness, friendships, and overall quality of life.
What they found
Children with severe vision loss scored much lower on daily living skills and life satisfaction.
Kids with mild vision loss still felt lower quality of life, but the gap was smaller.
How this fits with other research
Greenlee et al. (2024) looked at cerebral visual impairment and found the same drop in quality of life.
That team also showed parents rate their child’s life lower than the child does.
Heyman et al. (2019) tracked kids with other developmental delays and saw adaptive skills improve over time when families gave strong early support.
Joe’s results seem darker, but the children in that sample had no extra help measured, so the gap may not be fixed.
Why it matters
If you serve a child with congenital VI, do not assume low vision explains every struggle. Check daily living goals and ask both the child and the parent how life feels. Add task analysis, reinforcement, and family coaching. Small skill gains can lift quality of life more than the eye chart suggests.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Adaptive behaviours are vital skills that allow individuals to function independently and are potentially amenable to behavioural interventions. Previous research indicated that adaptive behaviours are reduced in children and adolescents with severe to profound VI, but it was unclear if this was also the case for children with mild to moderate VI. AIM: The aim of the study was to assess differences in adaptive behaviour in children with congenital visual disorders and different levels of visual impairment and their influence on quality of life and everyday strengths and difficulties. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Questionnaires about adaptive behaviour, strengths and difficulties, and quality of life were completed by parents of school-age children with severe-to-profound VI (S/PVI, n = 9, 0.9 logMAR - light perception only), mild-to-moderate VI (MVI, n = 9, 0.1-0.7 logMAR), or typical sight (control, n = 18, -0.3 to 0.1 logMAR). Differences in questionnaire domains by the severity of VI and relationships between adaptive behaviour and quality of life were analysed in general linear models. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The questionnaire ratings indicated reduced adaptive behaviour, more difficulties, and reduced quality of life in children with S/PVI compared to typically-sighted peers. Effects were smaller for children with MVI, but indicated a significant reduction in quality of life compared to typically-sighted children. The effect of visual impairment on quality of life in school was partially mediated by adaptive behaviour. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATION: Severe congenital visual impairment affects adaptive behaviour in children with verbal abilities in the typical range. This effect is less pronounced in children with mild-to-moderate VI, but still impacts on quality of life, particularly in school.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.12.003