Visual Impairment and Autism

Up to one-third of totally blind children are reported to suffer from a developmental disorder which has many features in common with autism in the sighted. The aetiological basis of this worrying condition is discussed. There are major problems in defining diagnostic criteria for autism in visual impairment, with the discriminant capabilities of empirically derived rating scales being compromised by overlaps between autistic symptoms and normal 'blindisms', and schedules based on existing diagnostic criteria being too visually dependent to allow valid administration. The need for a clearer understanding of normal social development in infants with visual impairment is presented as an important prerequisite for an understanding of this developmental disorder and its early identification and remediation.