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Deafblindness

This document discusses deafblindness, which is defined as simultaneous hearing and visual impairments that cause severe communication and developmental needs. The most common cause is Usher Syndrome, a genetic condition characterized by hearing loss and deteriorating vision. It describes the three types of Usher Syndrome and how they differ in severity of symptoms. It also discusses other potential causes like Congenital Rubella Syndrome. The document outlines important considerations for educating and providing early intervention to deafblind children, including strengthening their strongest sensory channels and using tactile methods like Braille, fingerspelling, and vibrations for communication.

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LaKeisha Weber-Davis March 16, 2011 Deafblindness: A Multiple and Severe Disability
What is deafblindness?  According to the IDEA, deafblindness is defined as ...concomitant [simultaneous] hearing and visual impairments, the combination of which causes such severe communication and other developmental and educational needs that they cannot be accommodated in special education programs solely for children with deafness or children with blindness. [§300.8(c)(2)]  As of 2007 there were approx. 45,000 to 50,000 individuals in the U.S
What is deafblindness?  Individuals are characterized as having: I. Low vision in the better eye II. Legally blind with light perception III. Critical visual impairments  Hearing impairments can range from mild loss to severe and profound loss
Usher Syndrome  A hearing impairment and a vision deficiency that worsens over time.  Most deafblind individuals suffer with this genetic condition.  Usher syndrome is a recessive disorder, so most individuals are unaware that they are indeed carriers for the mutation.  They are 3 categories of Usher Syndrome. Types 1,2, and 3  No Cure
Genetics of Deafblindness
Type I  Typically born completely deaf or lose most of their hearing within the first year of life.  Have severe Balance problems  estimated to occur in at least 4 per 100,000 people  may be more common in certain ethnic populations, such as people with central and eastern European, Jewish ancestry and the Acadian population in Louisiana.
Type II  Moderate to severe hearing problems but can be educated in the general education population.  Is the most common form of the disability Photograph of the retina of a patient with Usher syndrome (left) compared to a normal retina (right). The optic nerve (arrow) looks very pale, the vessels (stars) are very thin and there is characteristic pigment, called bone spicules (double arrows).
TYPE III  Least common form of Usher Syndrome  Experience progressive hearing loss and vision loss beginning in the first few decades of life.  Unlike the other forms of Usher syndrome, infants with Usher syndrome type III are usually born with normal hearing. Hearing loss typically begins during the first two decades of life.
CONGENITAL RUBELLA SYNDROME  Between 1964 and 1965, there was a worldwide epidemic of rubella, also known as German measles.  Pregnant women who contracted rubella in the first trimester of their pregnancy could pass the rubella virus to their developing fetus, causing the child to be born deaf, blind, with cardiac problems, developmental delays and other medical conditions.  In the United States alone, approximately 20,000 children were born during this epidemic with two or more of these symptoms. This constellation of symptoms is known as congenital rubella syndrome, or CRS.
Early Intervention  Children from birth up to age 3 who are deaf-blind, are typically eligible for early intervention services under the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities program of IDEA  Services are either provided free of charge to families or on a sliding cost scale based on the family’s income.  Visual evaluation and intervention are critical for a deafblind infant.  With a deafblind infant, communication develops through touch.  Without intervention, the infant can lose all interest in environment and resist new stimuli.
Early Intervention  Van Dijk Method Aims to enhance the quality of the child’s interaction with people and objects. Has been particularly sussessful!  Proposed that through body contact with others, children who are deafblind: A. Learn they are separate persons B. Other people are present in the environment C. Have an impact on their environment through communication. D. Resonance: Children with disabilities need to learn that their movements affect others.
Educating a Deafblind Child  If the child has at least one unimpaired sense, special education programs focus on strengthening that sense. I. Hearing impaired kids use a visual channel to develop communication. i.e. sign language, finger spelling, singing, picture communication and lip reading. II. Visually impaired children focus on audio and tactile aids to help develop those skills. Ex. Braille, large print, or language
Educating a Deafblind Child  If child has some vision, they should be allowed to observe others reading braille, using speech singing or touching.  Active participation is encouraged
Communications Methods used by the Deafblind  deafblind individual placing their thumb on a speaker’s lips and spreading their remaining fingers along the speaker’s face and neck  Communication is transmitted through vibrations, motions of the jaw, and facial expressions of the speaker  Can comprehend up to Tadoma
PRINT ON PALM  Print-on-Palm (POP) is a simple method of communicating with a person who is deaf-blind and familiar with printed English.
Tactile Fingerspelling  Every word is spelled out using a manual alphabet  The deaf-blind person may put his or her hand over the fingerspelling hand, or on the signer’s palm, or cup his or her hand around the signer’s hand.
Braille  is writing system invented by Louis Braille which enables blind and partially sighted people to read and write through touch  It consists of patterns of raised dots arranged in cells of up to six dots in a 3 x 2 configuration.  Each cell represents a letter, numeral or
Braille In Our Everyday Lives
In Conclusion Early intervention is the key to the success of a deafblind individual. Intervention begins with the family! Deafblind people do live normal lives with the help of effective communication methods
References  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deafblindness  http://www.nationaldb.org/aboutDeafBlindness.php  http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/usher.asp  http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/usher-syndrome  Educating the Exceptional Child ©2006  http://www.nichcy.org/Disabilities/Specific/Pages/Deaf-Blindness.aspx  http://www.lifeprint.com/asl101/topics/tadoma.htm