A Profile of Deaf-Blind Children Within Various Types of Educational Facilities

Deaf/Blind News A Profile of Deaf-Blind Children Within Various Types of Educational Facilities Corinne Klein Jensema Because deaf-blind children comprise only a minute proportion of the school-age population, it has been more economically feasible to serve them in facilities which cater to a more predominate handicapped population. A nationwide study conducted by the author in 1979 of 195 randomly selected deaf-blind children identified through ESEA Title VI C funds, revealed that less than 20% were in schools which exclusively serve deaf-blind students. (See Table 1.) Schools for the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled accommodated nearly half of the deaf-blind children in this sample. Schools for the blind assumed much greater responsibility than schools for the deaf in the education of deaf-blind youngsters. Over 60% of the children were residentially placed. Level of intelligence seemed to have some bearing on educational placement. Schools for the deaf and regular education day schools were most likely to serve those with mild retardation or average intelligence. (See Table 2.) Most youngsters in schools or institutions for the mentally retarded or developmentally disabled functioned in the severe-profound range of retardation. This is more consistent with the IQ spread across the entire deaf-blind schoolage population which shows over 60% having IQs below 50. Facilities which exclusively serve deaf-blind children showed a scatter from the moderate to profound levels of retardation while schools for the blind seemed to have children with all levels of intelligence. A review of additional handicapping conditions with children in this study had indicated that there seemed to be several differences according to facility placement. (See Table 3.) Schools and institutions for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled had more multiply involved pupils. These facilities had a Ms. Jensema is with the Maryland School for the Deaf, P.O. Box 894, Columbia, Md. 21044. higher percentage of children who were mentally retarded, had chronic health conditions, autism, convulsive disorders, and brain damage than was found for the entire sample. The reasoning for this is fairly apparent. These facilities are able to provide custodial care and medical treatment. A child with chronic health and convulsive disorders usually needs this kind of attention. Children with autistic-like behaviors may have developed that way as a result of institutionalization or may have been placed in an institution because their behaviors were socially contradictory. Various kinds of aberrant behaviors such as excessive or exotic self-stimulation, distractibility, hyperactivity, Table 1. Distribution by Type of Educational Facility. 4.1 15.9 Educational facility N Percent Residential school for the deaf 8 Residential school for the blind 31 Residential school for the deaf-blind 21 10.8 Residential school or institution for the developmentally disabled or retarded 61 31.3 Day school for the deaf 2 1.0 Day school for the blind 5 2.6 Day school for the deaf-blind 16 8.2 Day school for the developmentally disabled or retarded 23 11.8 General special education day school 4 Regular education day school 13 Homebound 2 Other 8 Not reported 1 Total 195 100.0 2.1 6.7 1.0 4.1 0.5 896 A.A.O. I October 1980 Deaf !Blind News Table 2. IQ by Type of Educational Facility. IQ 3 S Si ¡i N %of 8 te >Q 1 = V Ol es «S N %of 31 ô -g ο α â–eg •Ä Ol S w Ol Ol N %of 21 o « ÎŒ ai Sv — T3 Xl n ¡5 1^ -s s* u "3 (β "3 S a ï g 6 tÃ- Bn ^! « t. > ¿¿.s N %of 61 D N %of 2 D %of N 5 O T3 ο β * ι N %of 16 Profoundly retarded 0 Severely retarded 1 Moderately retarded 0 Mildly retarded 2 Average intelligence 2 Bright 0 None reported 3 0.0 12.5 0.0 25.0 25.0 0.0 37.5 3 10 3 5 3 0 7 9.7 32.3 9.7 16.1 9.7 0.0 22.6 4 10 5 0 1 0 1 19.7 47.6 23.8 0.0 4.8 0.0 4.8 33 17 1 2 0 0 54.1 0 27.9...