ceive positive messages and develop trust about
who they are from how they are held, touched,
fed, changed and spoken to (Hock, 2010). New
parents may be grieving the loss of their "perfect
child" which may lead to decreased touching,
cuddling, and handling of the infant who is blind.
Ages of 3 to 4 years
Toddlers become more curious about their
bodies and they may masturbate (a normal activ-
ity for all children). These are not the same
'sexual' responses that adults associate with
masturbation – children are comforted by repeti-
tion, such as sucking their thumbs. Parents
should define two sets of words: 1) appropriate
or inappropriate, and 2) public or private (Hock,
2010). Appropriateness is not whether a situation
is right or wrong, but whether or not the behavior
matches the situation. Public is defined as any
place where people can or may see you. Private
is any place where no one can see you
and there
is little or no chance of being seen. If a child who
is blind cannot see others' behaviors, the child
may assume that others cannot see their own be-
haviors. For example, masturbation is appropriate
and private in a bedroom versus the living room
or a preschool class.
During this stage, children establish for them-
selves that they are boys or girls. They are in-
quisitive about body differences and may play
"doctor" or "house" (Hock, 2010). Parents should
begin using appropriate sexual vocabulary to
name body parts so that a child who is blind will
not believe that these parts are not to be men-
tioned or are somehow unacceptable.
Additionally, parents should explain that no
one touches a child's "private parts" unless for
health reasons or cleaning. Some children who
are blind may become more passive if they rely
on adults solely and may be reluctant to protect
themselves from inappropriate behavior from
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