This study explores the nature of the development of symbolic play in visually impaired young children. The beginnings of representational play where examined in a group of 16 visually impaired children, ages 18 to 38 months. Nine children demonstrated some symbolic acts at a mean age of 25.9 months, which is significantly earlier than the literature suggests. Presence of symbolic acts was significantly related to the use of the word “no,” two-word combinations, and general sensorimotor skills. Performance on specific symbolic scenarios was considerably below that of 20-month-old sighted children.
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