Author: John Harris, Sue Keil, Chris Lord and Sally McManus, Publisher: RLSB, RNIB and NatCen
Key findings
- Children with sight impairment differed across a range of characteristics associated with wellbeing when compared with sighted children of the same age. For example, parents of children with sight impairment were significantly more likely than other parents to say that their child had emotional, concentration or behaviour difficulties; was often unhappy, downhearted or low; and wet the bed at least once a week.
- For children with sight impairment and another impairment however, the differences were often greater and applied to a greater number of variables. This group in particular, was likely to have less exposure to social and cultural events, have fewer friends and do less physical activity.
- There were clear differences between children with a sight impairment (with or without an additional impairment) and children with no sight impairment on a number of variables in relation to education, indicating different experiences of school and different levels of attainment between these two groups
- Children with sight impairment were more likely to be experiencing difficulties with reading and writing than children with no sight impairment. There were also indications that a higher proportion may have been experiencing greater difficulties with maths and science although these differences did not reach statistical significance.
- For children with sight impairment and another impairment the differences were often greater and applied to a greater number of variables in relation to their experiences of school and learning.
- Children with sight impairment and another impairment were more likely to dislike school, to not like answering questions in class and to believe that their teacher 'never' thought they were clever. They were more likely to say they were bullied at school all of the time and to never feel safe in the playground. They were more likely to dislike reading, number work, science and PE. This dislike appears to be reflected in parent and teacher assessments of their academic attainment, with children in this group more likely to be experiencing difficulties with reading, writing, maths, science and PE and to be rated by their teachers as below or well below average at these subjects.
- Children with sight impairment at age 7 (with and without another impairment) were much more likely than children without sight impairment to live in a family experiencing financial hardship.