Patrick J. Brice

Hemiparesis is a clinical correlate of general adaptive dysfunction in children and adolescents with Sturge-Weber syndrome.

This study sought to identify neurologic correlates of adaptive functioning in individuals with Sturge-Weber syndrome. A total of 18 children, adolescents, and young adults with Sturge-Weber syndrome with brain involvement were recruited from our Sturge-Weber center. All underwent neurologic examination (including review of clinical brain magnetic resonance imaging) and neuropsychological assessment. Neuropsychological assessment included measures of intellectual ability and standardized parent report of adaptive functioning. Overall, Full Scale IQ and ratings of global adaptive functioning were both lower than the population-based norms (P < .05). Negative correlations were identified between adaptive functioning ratings, clinician ratings of cortical abnormality, and ratings of neurologic status. Hemiparesis (minimal versus prominent) was the only individual component of the rating scales that differentiated between individuals with nonimpaired and impaired adaptive functioning scores. Information obtained during neurological examination of children and adolescents with Sturge-Weber syndrome particularly hemiparetic status is useful for identifying children who may need additional intervention.

It Is Not Just Stress: Parent Personality in Raising a Deaf Child

This study examined the impact and predictive ability of parental personality and perceived stress on behavior problems of their deaf child. One hundred and fourteen parents with a deaf child completed measures of personality, parenting stress, and child behavioral functioning. Higher parental neuroticism, which reflects a susceptibility to emotional and psychological distress, significantly predicted greater internalizing behaviors in younger deaf children, whereas higher levels of parenting stress and lower levels of parental conscientiousness were strongest predictors for externalizing behaviors. For older deaf children, higher levels of parental openness to experience predicted higher levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Results suggest a complicated interaction between parent personality and stress related to child adjustment, with implications for professionals working with parents of deaf children.

Review of Intellectual Assessment Measures for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

OVERVIEW Intellectual assessment of children who are deaf or hard of hearing presents unique challenges to the clinician charged with attempting to obtain an accurate representation of the childs skills. Selection of appropriate intellectual assessment instruments requires a working knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the measure and what changes in standardized administration might be necessary to accommodate for the needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the case of some available instruments, there is limited guidance and objective research available examining the performance of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. This review summarizes available information on widely used and most recent editions of intellectual assessment measures with special attention to guidance on accommodations, score interpretation, subtest selection and other test-specific considerations when assessing children who are deaf or hard of hearing. SUMMARY There is much opportunity for further inquiry in the field of intellectual assessment as it applies to children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as many measures have not been closely scrutinized for their appropriate use with this population. Clinicians must recognize inherent difficulties with intellectual assessment measures with children who are deaf or hard of hearing and issues in providing for an accessible and accurate administration of test items.

Developing a Concept of Self and Other: Risk and Protective Factors

There is very little research that has been done with deaf children, specifically with the concept of resilience in mind. There are, however, data on a number of developmental factors that can be examined for the roles they play as protective factors and in providing deaf children with the skills necessary to adapt to and cope with a complex and demanding world. In particular, we argue that developing a strong sense of self and an accurate and objective understanding of other people, rooted in a caring and secure parent–child attachment, provides a foundation for deaf children to thrive. We also review the challenges for deaf children in developing the skills to understand others and feel positively about one self, including delayed language acquisition, concluding that the relationship context is most crucial.