Causes of Deafness and How They Impact Language
Knowing when a person was deafened can give you a sense of how savvy they may or may not be with English. (For example, if they were deafened at the age of eight they likely already have a basic understanding of the grammatical rules of the language spoken in their home during those first 8 years.)
Also, age of onset is important because it will hint towards whether or not their family was able to communicate well with them when they were a child.
If a child is deaf at birth and the family members don't learn sign language (which often happens), that means the client likely didn't have access to language role models during the critical formative years of their early childhood. This affects their Fund of Information (their understanding of how the world works) as well as the depth of connection they have with their family members.
There are many other implications and factors but these resources give you a good starting place...
This
article by Crump & Hamerdinger contains critical information (esp.
pgs 3-5) to distinguish symptoms of Language Dysfunction Syndrome (LDS)
resulting from a medical diagnosis versus the symptoms of psychosis:
**Please read the article for all of the information. Summaries are listed below:
~~~~~~~
Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS)/ German Measles (esp. 1960 to 1965)~
- Co-occurrences and symptoms (some): Intellectual Disability (ID) , Developmental Delays (DD), dyslexia, visual memory & processing problems, poor balance, impaired cognitive skills, decline in IQ, impulsivity, behavioral problems, attention deficits
- Implications for language: periods
of brief, intermittent incoherence that come unexpectedly, assymetrical
language skills (ex: need ASL for receptive input but use PSE for
expressive output), they sign more slowly, have difficulty learning new
words or "finding the right one", difficulty with fingerspelling both
expressively and receptively, they copy your signs to process the
language and then they answer, and have divergent comments periodically.
- Co-occurrences and some symptoms:
Cerebral Palsy, vision loss, DD, cognitive deficits, learning
disabilities, ADD, OCD, Spectrum-like behaviors. Short attention span,
difficulty with impulse control, language processing problems, seeks
instant gratification. Loss of hearing in one ear that worsens and
possibly occurs in second ear as well.
- Implications for language: Possible auditory processing issues even if can hear
FAS (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome)~
- Co-occurrences and symptoms:
Vision difficulty, impulsivity, low muscle tone which can cause floppy
limbs (implications for signing). Poor short term memory, poor judgment
or generalization skills. Difficulty with cause & effect and
identifying patterns. Inconsistent knowledge base as well as linking
words to actions. Information processing disorder.
- Implications for language:
Because of decreased spatial awareness, their signs might not cross the
midline of their body. Language may be less detailed and they can
repeat information but not understand it. Their expressive skills are
typically better than their receptive skills.
Toxoplasmosis~
- Vision loss/eye pain, brain damage, seizures, cognitive disabilities, confusion, lethargy, memory loss, weakness on one side of the body, speech & language disorders, vocabulary deficits, language delays
Premature Birth~
- Co-occurrences
and symptoms: developmental and intellectual delays, learning
disabilities, Cerebral Palsy, and emotional disabilities. Hyperactivity,
distractability, restlessness.
Bacterial Meningitis~
- Symptoms: Decreased short term memory, hyperactivity, impulsivity, distractability, lower verbal intelligence
- Implications for language: Expressive and receptive skills differ (expressive usually better than receptive), difficulty with figurative language & jokes/riddles, reading difficulties and challenges understanding ambiguity or being able to use inferential reasoning. Difficulty with turn-taking.
TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)~
- Symptoms: Decreased attention span, poor judgment, slower processing speed, distractable
- Language Implications: Difficulty understanding and producing language, difficulty with subtle communication (body language, for example), less ability to multi-task, plan, solve problems, or reason abstractly.
WHY IS ALL OF THIS IMPORTANT?
You
can see how these medical complications can manifest similarly to mental
illnesses in some cases so it is very important to investigate the
source of the symptom or behavior.
For example, if a patient comments divergently, could that be a result of schizophrenia or congenital rubella? Misdiagnosis could lead to prescribing the wrong medication and/or treatment.
Here are some important topics that relate:
Possible causes of childhood permanent hearing loss ~
Impacts of Etiology of Deafness ~
Fund of Information ~
Language Dysfluency and Language Deprivation ~
Some Causes of Childhood Permanent Hearing Loss (pg 17 of this website:)