Considerations, Conceptualizations, and Challenges in the Study of Concomitant Learning Disabilities Among Children and Adolescents Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Abstract

In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the identification of and provision of appropriate services to children and adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) and who have concomitant learning disabilities (LD). Although it is unclear just how many youths who are D/HH also might have educationally significant learning problems, results from limited survey research and clinical practice provide evidence that such a group exists and that a significant portion of the school-age population of children and adolescents who are D/HH comprise a subgroup of youths who have concomitant LD. The overriding interest of those who advocate the cause of children and adolescents who are D/HH with concomitant LD is in finding effective ways to help these youths acquire future academic competence and attain competent levels of psychosocial functioning and emotional well-being. With creative research efforts and efficacious approaches to psychoeducational practice, we can seize the opportunity to establish high-quality diagnostic and educational services for children and adolescents who are D/HH and who have accompanying LD and set the stage to optimize positive developmental, academic, vocational, social, and economic outcomes for these youths.

Educational Programming for Deaf Children with Multiple Disabilities: Accommodating Special Needs

“…It is not always easy to di erentiate between intellectual disability and learning disability in deaf children. A major problem is the fact that the concept of learning disability is not straightforward (Bunch & Melnyk, 1989;Mauk & Mauk, 1998;Samar et al, 1998). Often it is described in exclusionary language.…”

“…Unfortunately, formal psychoeducational testing of deaf and multiply disabled deaf children often presents considerable challenges. Reliable and valid assessments with respect to vision, hearing, cognition, and overall development are problematic (see, e.g., Chen, 1999;Jones, 1988;McCracken, 1998;Mauk & Mauk, 1998;Rönnberg & Borg, 2001;Roth, 1991;Van Dijk & Janssen, 1993), and there is a tremendous lack of adequate tests and normative data in these areas. Systematic observational assessment of the strength and weaknesses of children in the domains of perception, behavior, language, and motor skills is thus very important to educational planning.…”

Parental perception of educational, behavioural and general health problems in school‐age survivors of bacterial meningitis

“…Since hearing impairment in childhood has been associated with educational and behavioural problems (14,15), the role of sensorineural hearing loss in postmeningitic children has been studied (6,(8)(9)(10)(11)16).…”

Overview of assessment for deaf and hard of hearing students

“…Studies also indicated participants with genetic etiologies of deafness scored better on executive functioning assessments than those who did not have a genetic link. More specifically, deaf individuals with significant language delays are more likely to have executive function limitations (Mauk & Mauk, ; Oberg & Lukomski, ).…”