Audiological Certainty in Deaf Children with Learning Disabilities: An Imperative for Inter-agency Working

Abstract

Meeting the audiological management needs of deaf children with learning disabilities is demanding. The study specifically focused on the age at which audiological certainty, the degree, configuration and type of hearing loss, was established in 20 individuals with severe learning disability. Audiological records relating to each individual were scrutinised in order to evaluate management history and degree of current audiological certainty. The study concluded that out of the cohort of 20 children and young people audiological certainty had been established in only two cases. Teachers of the Deaf are ideally placed to collect a range of information that would inform and assist in the process of assessing needs, hearing aid fitting and on going validation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Keywords:

• audiological certainty
• learning disabilities
• complex needs
• audiological management
• inter-agency working