Locus of Control and Adaptive Behavior in Visually Impaired Children

Abstract

Locus of control for academic achievement and correlating competencies in adaptive behavior were measured in a group of residential school children of normal intelligence and singularly impaired. There were both low vision and totally blind students in the sample. The Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (IAR) and the new Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) were administered. For the total group, responsibility for positive intellectual achievement events correlated significantly with increase in Adaptive Behavior scores. Discussion highlights the importance of facilitating development of skills of independence to enhance self-responsibility for academic and other life events in visually impaired children.