VIDBE-Q Volume 68 Issue 1
and conceptual synthesis across topics) and depth of understanding within a subject
area contributes to overall reading comprehension.
Language and Literacy and Students with Visual Impairment and Blindness
Research regarding the language skills of young children with visual
impairments shows that semantic and syntactical knowledge develops with similar
patterns as children who are sighted (Vervloed et al., 2014). Although a slight
delay in learning vocabulary may initially occur, children with visual impairments
generally acquire the same number of words in early childhood as children with
vision (Dimcovic & Tobin, 1995). One observation in vocabulary use is that
children with visual impairments may name things within their immediate
environment or use close-by words, as opposed to far-away words or distal words
that are not readily accessible to one's experiences (Linders, 1998 as cited in
Vervloed et al., 2014). Names of family members and objects within the house, for
example, were some of the earliest words learned by children with visual
impairments in one study's findings (Brambring, 2007). Brambring's research
further documented slight delays in early sound production and use of pronouns,
but no delays in word acquisition, phrases, or syntax. Research regarding older
children with visual impairments shows greater discrepancies in broad content
vocabulary and deep word knowledge, compared with sighted peers (Vervloed et
al., 2014). Furthermore, children with visual impairments may have difficulty
