ABSTRACT

The tactile perception sense analyzed temporal and spacial qualities of tactile stimuli, and influences self awareness .and body scheme. Blind persons require considerable practice in processing auditory, tactile and olfactory stilmuli because of their visual deficit. This study proposed that tactile perception will increase with the practice, so tactile perception was compared in visually challenged and normal children. Subj ects of this study were 20 100 % congenitally blind children without other problems aged 6 to 11 years, and 20 normal children of the same age. The blind children lived in a residential facilety for blind children. The results of 5 sub-tests in the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test(SIPT) suggest that tactile perception in blind children was not superior to that of normal children. I t should be considered that many other factors affect tactile perception in addition to tactile experience and practice in the environment.