The role of visual experience in early mental development of children

The mental development of infants from a birth till 2 years old with rough inborn or early acquared damages of visual system was studied. There were tested the indices of motor, cognitive and behavioural development and also visual functions. The factors of biological risk and social environment were controlled, The data obtained showed the considerable role of visual experience in the sensomotor integration and development of self-initiated movements. The distinctive peculiarities in prossesing of acoustic stimuli of infants with visual damages were established: they are rough deviations in behavioral regulation. The possibilities of the child's representation sphere formation on the basis of space notions were also demonstrated. There was no lag in speech development of children with visual damages to be fixed. The results of the research are disscussed from the position which proposes visual experience to be stimulating and integrating factor of child mental development.