The Deaf Pupil with Learning Disabilities.

This brief paper reports on a study of learning disabilities in students with deafness. The study attempted to first determine to what extent deficiencies in communication skills affect the screening of deaf students for learning disabilities and, second, to describe the phenomenon of learning disability in students with deafness. The research group consisted of 68 pupils (ages 8 to 12) with normal nonverbal IQ and severe hearing loss. Evaluation of communication skills identified a subgroup with very poor communication skills, the atypical learning disabled group, with the following characteristics: (1) more males than females; (2) a tendency to be older than same-class peers; (3) higher incidence of significant medical problems; (4) weak mother-child relationships suggesting a negative educational climate; (5) weak scholastic achievement; (6) low motivation and a weak risk attitude; (7) weak visual perception and integration processes; (8) preference for visual communication; (9) weak signing skills; and (10) passive activity level and low concentration. (DB)