This is critical. Quality of life is at stake. The cane is the key tool for independent mobility. Poor cane techniques, using the diagonal and touch skills incorrectly, are not examples of bad habits. To expect graceful, exact cane skills at a young age is unrealistic and unfair.
Young children have difficulty making small, refined movements.
Also, Motor delays are not uncommon with blind children. One adult may have become proficient with the cane after the 7th grade, while another may not have become graceful and efficient with the cane until high school. Another way to think about this is to consider athletic ability. Let's face it, some of us have bodies designed for sports excellence and some of us exercise everyday just to avoid looking like lawn Buddhas. Some people are good ball players because they have the genetics for it, and some people are good ball players because they stubbornly work at developing their skills.