Young children who are deaf-blind: Implications for professionals in deaf and hard of hearing services

Children who have both a hearing loss and a visual impairment are a very small but extremely heterogeneous low incidence group. These children vary greatly in the types and degrees of visual impairment and hearing loss. The majority of them have some usable vision and/or hearing, and many have additional disabilities. Most professionals (i.e., teachers, speech and language therapists, and audiologists) providing deaf and hard of hearing services may not be experienced in working with a child who has a visual impairment in addition to a hearing loss. However, these professionals play a critical role in facilitating early identification and providing early intervention services to infants and pre-schoolers who are deaf-blind. This article identifies high risk factors associated with deaf-blindness. It provides relevant definitions, basic information on types of visual impairment, ways to enhance the child's use of vision and touch, and considerations in working with a young child who is deaf-blind.