Examination of the manneristic behavior (stereotyped or repetitive movement) of 542 blind and 365 sighted children was undertaken. Seventeen types of manneristic behavior were investigated, including head movement, eye poking and rubbing, body rocking, kicking, and posture distortion. Comparison of the behaviors observed in sighted and blind Ss indicated a higher degree of manneristic behavior for blind girls and less for sighted girls than their male counterparts. Existence of specific behaviors in sex of both groups was evaluated. Findings included that four mannerisms (head movement, eye poking and rubbing, clapping and jumping) were found only in blind children, and that sighted Ss ranked higher than blind Ss on all 13 mannerisms. It was concluded that the mannerisms seem to be a human phenomenon rather than one restricted to blindness. (CL)