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Special Education, Related Services, and Supports for Children Who Are Deaf-Blind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 Anne Smith D. Jay Gense
Special Issue: Current Practices with Children Who Are Deaf-Blind To begin, I must thank Deborah Gold for the invitation to serve as guest editor of this special theme issue, and express my sincere appreciation to many colleagues for their thoughtful reviews of submissions. The current emphasis on evidence-based practices requires those of us working with children with disabilities to evaluate and align our professional practices with relevant evidence. Given the low incidence nature of deaf-blindness and the extreme heterogeneity of this population, there is limited research on the education of these children and consequently, scant evidence on which to base practice. However, evidence-based practice may be defined as a decision-making process that draws from the combination of the best available research, professional craft knowledge, and family wisdom and experience (Buysee & Wesley, 2006). The field of deaf-blindness has a rich legacy of professional knowledge and family wisdom. We must collect data from families and professionals in a systematic manner and promote research efforts to guide our practice. Based on available evidence, families of children who are deafblind and professionals working with them must collaborate to identify the best approach to an individual child’s severe communication, developmental, and other educational needs. About This Issue I am pleased to introduce this special theme issue of the AER Journal as a contribution to the evidence base related to serving children who are deaf-blind. Seven selected articles cover a range of topics derived from research, professional knowledge, and family experience. Content focuses on the challenges of obtaining accurate assessment findings, the complexity of supporting a child’s communication and language development, and the many intricacies of providing high quality educational services. This issue leads off with an article by Rowland, Stillman, and Mar about the results of national surveys on most commonly used tools to assess children’s social interaction, communication, and cognitive skills. Findings identify the need for adaptations when using From the Guest Editor standardized tools with children who are deaf-blind and selected assessment tools that have been found to be specifically useful. The second article involves a particular child-guided assessment protocol. Nelson, Janssen, Oster, and Jayaraman examine the reliability and fidelity of the van Dijk framework for assessing students with multiple disabilities and deaf-blindness. Findings indicate that multiple practitioners could implement the assessment protocol with fidelity and reach similar conclusions about targeted skills and learning abilities of a particular child. Parent experiences are highlighted in the third article on children who are deaf-blind with cochlear implants. Bashinski, Durando, and Stremel Thomas report on parents’ perceptions of the overall effects of their children’s implants and identify the need for creating effective listening environments and facilitating auditory skills of these children. The fourth article addresses teachers’ perceptions of their own professional competence and confidence and influences on these perceptions. Hartmann provides a qualitative examination of teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching children who are deaf-blind. Findings suggest that training, experiences, supports, and attitudes influence teacher perceptions of their professional efficacy. The practice report discusses the issue of under-identification of deaf-blindness in children with Down syndrome. Good and Chadwick provide an overview of Down syndrome, stress the need for audiological and ophthalmological evaluations given the high risk for both visual impairment and hearing loss in this population, and outline considerations for educational services. The next article focuses on the unique communication needs of children who are deaf-blind. Bruce describes a holistic communication profile that documents a child’s communication abilities through an examination of form, function, content, and context. The profile is derived from relevant research and literature on pivotal milestones that influence communication development. This issue concludes with a 20th to 21st century perspective on the influence of federal initiatives in the education of children with disabilities, particularly those who are deaf-blind. Smith and Gense pose provocative Volume 3, Number 3, Summer 2010 | 61
Page 1 and 2: Association for Education and Rehab
Page 3: AER Journal: Research and Practice
Page 7: Table of Contents Special Issue: Cu
Page 11 and 12: Abstract Current Assessment Practic
Page 13 and 14: technical assistance projects, prov
Page 15 and 16: Table 2. Component Statements Avera
Page 17 and 18: Carolina, HELP, and Vineland) were
Page 19 and 20: Abstract Reliability and Fidelity o
Page 21 and 22: and Marleen Janssen, independently
Page 23 and 24: Table 1. Continued Interrater Relia
Page 25 and 26: Table 2. Continued Implementation A
Page 27 and 28: were from one geographic area, and
Page 29 and 30: Family Survey Results: Children wit
Page 31 and 32: Methods Participants The participan
Page 33 and 34: Table 1. Continued No/Strongly Disa
Page 35 and 36: or showing ‘‘overall behavior (
Page 37 and 38: Limitations Questionnaires are susc
Page 39 and 40: Understanding Teachers’ Self-Effi
Page 41 and 42: Methods Participants Purposeful, ty
Page 43 and 44: to teach children with deaf-blindne
Page 45 and 46: Ashton, P.T., & Webb, R.B. (1986).
Page 47 and 48: when Lejeune and colleagues discove
Page 49 and 50: toward vision and hearing impairmen
Page 51 and 52: assistive-technologies specialists,
Page 53 and 54: Pueschel, S.M., & Solga, P.M. (1992
Page 55 and 56: and Level 7: combinations of two to
Page 57 and 58: during a communication research stu
Page 59 and 60:
Communication Profile Appendix. Tho
Page 61 and 62:
Appendix. Continued. Communication
Page 63 and 64:
Special Education, Related Services
Page 65 and 66:
capacity to serve children who are
Page 67 and 68:
tional settings for infants and tod
Page 69 and 70:
among stakeholders regarding equity
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