The barriers to and facilitators of academic and social success for deafblind children and young people: A scoping review

Abstract

Deafblind children and young people often perform poorly in education and social settings. The extent of this attainment gap is unknown. Following the Joanna Briggs protocol, a scoping review was conducted with the aim of establishing the barriers to and facilitators of academic and social success for this cohort. A database search was conducted seeking peer‐reviewed studies relating to deafblind children and young people, in academic and social settings, from any country, published in English, between 1989 and 2022. The review included 38 articles with a range of methodological approaches. The main barriers to success were limited opportunities and options to communicate, a lack of awareness of deafblindness within schools and the wider community, and limited opportunities and adaptations to the curriculum, resources and the environment. The facilitators included improving access to communication and resources, increased awareness, and collaboration between families and professionals. Additional research is needed in this field, particularly to investigate the impact of modern technology to aid access and communication for deafblind children and young people.