The mother who can respond only as far as her own perceptual world allows has little conception of what a blind child can do and experience. She does not encourage where it would be necessary, and expects too little in the directions where he functions well. To interrupt

a blind child's apparent passivity may mean interrupting an active achivement, namely, listening. The continual shaking of noisy toys and the endless play of the wireless are not what the infant needs. Curiosity is most likely alive, but remains unnoticed. Since it is not shared with the mother, it does not lead further but results in repetitive actions, rhythmic movements (blindisms), or in boredom, at best in a lonely experience. All this leads to a slowing down of development in certain spheres; in the most favorable cases what we find is uneven and unharmonious development.