Social development of children with visual impairment: Use of self-evaluation

The most basic component of any learning process is the collection of information through the senses, the most versatile of which is the visual sense which provides a substantial proportion and variety of input in the information collecting process. Visual impairment can affect a child's social development and have an impact on the forming of friendships with sighted peers. It has been observed that the significant others in the environment (e.g., teachers, peers, family), unless prompted, fail to supply feedback that is meaningful to an individual with visual impairment. This chapter focuses on research literature around social development of children with visual impairment. It also reports data from some studies that the author conducted which demonstrate the use of self-evaluation as a successful intervention strategy for increasing social interaction between children with visual impairment and their peers in mainstream schools, their successful generalisation and maintenance, as well as increasing meaningful feedback from the environment.