Study supported by research grant 1-K03-Hd36971 and by training grant 1-T01-Hd00203 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

A THEORY OF TEACHING SEVERELY HANDICAPPED READERS TO READ BY MODALITY BLOCKING OR NONVISUAL ATK, THE AUDITORY-KINESTHETIC-TACTILE METHOD, RATHER THAN BY STRENGTHENING ALL SENSORY MODALITIES IS REPORTED. INDIVIDUALS WHO SPEAK ADEQUATELY BUT WHO READ INADEQUATELY SUFFER INTERFERENCE FROM THE VISUAL INPUT SYSTEM IN THE LEARNING OF READING. IF THE…

Two groups of continuing education students were tested using three of Viktor Lowenfeld's tests of visual-haptic perception. The scores from the three tests were added to yield a score which identified an individual's location on Lowenfeld's visual-haptic continuum. The investigation also uncovered scoring problems with two of the tests which had…

In response to an expressed need for inexpensive biological models for blind students, the American Printing House for the Blind has developed a set of 19 plastic models (schematics), which illustrate representative species of the major invertebrate phyla and component structures of flowering plants. (Author)

The extent to which a developmental program of tactile perception and braille letter recognition would affect errors in these abilities and reduce scrubbing and backtracking behaviors of 30 legally blind braille users (5-15 years old) was studied. (Author/BD)

This study investigated infants' differential responding to novel and familiar stimuli after familiarization in a different sensory modality. Results showed that infants gain information about the shape of objects from their oral experience with them and that this information can be transferred to the visual modality. (Author/JMB)

A remotely activated tactual communication aid is described, and results obtained from tests with the aid on five normal hearing young adults and five profoundly hearing impaired children (8 to 14 years old) are reported. (SBH)

Four experiments studied the perception of the unity and boundaries of objects by 88 4-month-old infants who manipulated them out of the visual field. Infants perceived the unity/boundaries of these objects by detecting the motion patterns they themselves produced. Discrimination between motion patterns transferred from touch to vision. (SLD)

Describes a study performed at Kenyatta University in which comparative reading and comprehension rates were investigated between five blind and five sighted students. Results indicated that blind students require longer reading time than the sighted students, but comprehension levels remained the same between the groups. Implications and…

This article investigates categorical perception as a phenomenon which can be understood in terms of adaptation level theory. Data from four experiments, two visual and two tactual-kinesthetic, supports the idea that categorical perception is a pervasive characteristic of perceptual organization. (JAZ)

The use of a nonvisual tactual and auditory tutorial method to teach initial reading skills to 16 reading disabled children (ages 7 to 14) was evaluated. The method was shown to be less effective than sighted methods. (DB)

Reports two studies of infant exploration. In the first, age and characteristics of the object stimuli influenced 6-, 9- and 12-month-olds who manipulated a series of objects. Results of the second study suggested that different kinds of manipulation are used to explore changes in shape, texture, and weight. (Author/CB)

Discusses the value of touch as a counseling tool with handicapped students. Delineates the mechanical and neurological components of touch and identifies tactile stimuli that are processed and evaluated during a learning experience. Academic and affective factors are also reviewed. (JAC)

Results are discussed in terms of cognitive growth, the psychoanalytic notion of ambivalence, the role of stimulus context in eliciting laughter or fear, and a possible adaptive, stimulus-maintaining function of laughter. (Authors)

This paper was originally published in the Reports from the Institute of Occupational Health series. (JM)