Effect of Visual Condition on Use of Proprioceptive Cues in Performing a Balance Task

Abstract

To study the effect of visual condition on performance of a balancing task, 48 children ages 8 to 10 and 12 to 14 who were totally blind, legally blind, sighted, and blindfolded sighted were tested on a stabilometer during two sessions held approximately one month apart. Each session included 20 trials with the feet perpendicular to the stabilometer's axle and 20 with the feet parallel to the axle. According to the results, a hierarchy of motor performance exists among older children: Sighted 12-to-14-year-olds performed best, followed by the totally blind, blindfolded legally blind and, finally, sighted blindfolded children. Thus a developmental trend may exist in the ability to use proprioceptive information. If this ability can be learned, it may become a valuable adjunct to mobility programs for the visually impaired.