The performance of hearing-impaired children on handedness and perceptual motor tasks.

The present study was designed to test for differences, if any, in children with impaired hearing compared with a control group of children with normal hearing (7-11-year-olds) in handedness, drawing, categorization, facial recognition, and play. Results indicated age differences in the performance of all the tasks. The children with hearing loss had more left-hand responses than the normal children did. For drawings, those whose hearing was impaired used more space and color. Both groups performed similarly on tasks of categorization and facial recognition. For play, children with hearing loss were more clumsy and accident prone than children in the control group. The results suggest that children with impaired hearing differ from those with normal hearing in tasks that are influenced by language processes and motor ability.