Prevalence and situational causes of stereotyped behaviors in blind infants and preschoolers

Parents of 85 blind children aged from 10 months to the 6th year of life were asked regarding the frequency, duration and typical situations of the occurrence of various stereotypic behavors in their children. The Bielefeld Parents' Questionnaire for Blind and Sighted Infants and Preschoolers was used as the instrument of measurement. All of the children displayed at least one stereotypic behavior; most displayed several stereotypic behaviors according to the parents' reports. Eye poking and body rocking dominated within the prevalence hierarchy. Four typical situations could be identified in which stereotypic behaviors were shown: monotony, arousal, demand, and during feeding or eating. The results suggested that repetitive hand and finger movements, stereotypic manipulation of objects, and making a face(s) mainly occur within arousal situations whereas eye poking, whimpering, and sucking thumbs or fingers especially are linked to monotony.This research was carried out within a research program on early intervention and family care for blind infants and preschoolers. This program is part of the Special Research Unit on Prevention and Intervention in Childhood and Adolescence (Sonderforschungsbereich No. 227) at the University of Bielefeld funded by the German Research Association (DFG). The authors would like to thank Gail Weingart and Jonathan Harrow (University of Bielefeld) for translating this paper from German.