Students with Learning Disabilities and Hearing Impairment

Abstract

Although the number of students with both learning disability and hearing impairment (LDHI) currently enrolled in secondary and postsecondary programs has not been precisely determined, it is clear that these students are currently receiving inadequate assessment and support in many institutions. The best route for serving these students would seem to be collaborative efforts between deaf educators and learning disabilities specialists, yet serious gaps exist between these two professions in regard to interpretation of laws governing special services, training of professionals, and locations of educational programs. The difficulties of developing collaborative work have been compounded by controversies within each field and the heterogeneity of the populations served by both disciplines. Those interested in creating good LDHI assessments should begin by considering the qualifications needed by those conducting evaluation procedures. The inadequacies of current formal assessment devices for this population need to be recognized; informal procedures, such as teacher observation and curriculum-based assessments, are still some of the best tools available for identification and educational planning.

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

“…Alternatively, testing by means of sign language or, if appropriate, augmentative communication should be considered (Morgan & Vernon, 1994;Roth, 1991).…”

“…Much less information, let alone empirical research into e ects, is available with respect to deaf, intellectually disabled children; deaf, autistic children; or deaf children with learning disabilities. Professionals agree that for all groups of multiply handicapped deaf children, educational programming cannot start without proper assessment (Chen & Haney, 1995;Roth, 1991;Van Dijk & Nelson, 2001).…”

“…Assessment should be carried out by people uent in the ways of communication preferred by the children such as sign language or forms of augmentative communication (Roth, 1991).…”

“…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.…”

The psychometric properties of the Wechsler-4 standard for Deaf people with Mild Intellectual Disability

“…Correct evaluation is a prerequisite for providing treatment and educational programs because Deaf people with multiple disabilities vary greatly in relation to individual differences, competencies, and capabilities. The evaluation should be done by people who are good at communication methods that children prefer, such as sign language or other communication methods that are appropriate for the degree of auditory loss (Roth, 1991).…”