Diagnosing Autism in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
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Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Arielle Spellun, Megan Herlihy, Emily Taketa, Amber Graham, Matthew Fasano-McCarron, Samantha Hasenbalg, Terrell Clark, Kate Linnea, Peter Isquith, Rachel Landsman
This recent study focuses on improving the assessment of children who are both deaf or hard of hearing and diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The researchers examined how the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) Parent Rating Scale could help identify important differences in social skills and adaptive behaviors in these children.
This study demonstrates that the BASC-3 can provide meaningful insights for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and also have Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The study found that the behavior patterns of children who are both deaf or hard of hearing and diagnosed with autism were more similar to hearing children with autism than to their deaf peers without autism. This is especially true in areas like social skills and communication challenges.
What This Means for Medical Providers and Educators:
The BASC-3 can help distinguish between behaviors related to hearing differences and those connected to autism, making it easier to create tailored interventions for children.
The BASC-3 offers valuable insights into the unique needs of children who are both deaf or hard of hearing and diagnosed with autism.
It helps distinguish between communication challenges linked to hearing differences and those related to autism.
Medical providers and educators can use these insights to create more personalized care and educational plans.
While this study had a small sample size, it demonstrates that additional research is indicated to explore readily available tools to screen for and diagnose Autism in deaf and hard of hearing children. These children frequently experience delays in diagnosis and receipt of therapeutic interventions because of a lack of access to standardized assessments, qualified personnel, and diagnostic overshadowing, the attributions of a person's differences to one condition without the consideration that there may be a co-occurring diagnosis.
Read the full article.
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