title: Communication skills in blind children: a preliminary investigation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are anecdotal reports that blind children sometimes use language inappropriately, but there has been no recent systematic investigation of the communication skills of children with congenital blindness. The aim of the present study was to conduct a preliminary investigation of the communication skills of a group of children with congenital blindness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The parents of eight congenitally blind children completed the Children's Communication Checklist-2.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The checklist ratings showed that the communication profiles of a large proportion of the group warranted clinical investigation or were indicative of a communication disorder.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from this preliminary investigation support the need for a larger study on the communication skills of children with congenital blindness.
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences, University of Newcastle, King George VI Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. d.m.james@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stojanovik
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000150:complications / Q000151:congenital*; D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D007807:Language Tests; D008297:Male