How many children are deaf-blind
in the U.S.?

By Emma Nelson, National Center on Deaf-Blindness

According to the National Child Count of Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind, there are approximately 10,000 children in the U.S., ages birth through 21, who are deaf-blind. Begun in 1986 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, the “National Count” represents a collaborative effort between the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB) and state deaf-blind projects throughout the country, as well as the Pacific Trust territories, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. NCDB is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. Its primary mission is to support state deaf-blind projects as they assist educators, agencies, and organizations to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to help children with deaf-blindness learn, access the general education curriculum, and successfully transition to adult life.

As a low-incidence disability, deaf-blindness also has great variability within this population of children. 87% of children who are identified as deaf-blind have additional physical, medical, or cognitive disabilities. Although the term deaf-blind implies a complete absence of hearing and sight, it refers to children with varying degrees of vision and hearing loss. Because deaf-blindness limits access to auditory and visual information, children who are deaf-blind require educational services individualized to their own learning styles and abilities.

Helpful websites related to deaf-blindness mentioned in this article:

National Center on Deaf-Blindness: nationaldb.org. Find contact information for every state deaf-blind project in the U.S and many more resources.

International Foundation for CDKL5 Research: https://www.cdkl5.com/ to learn more about CDKL5.

Cortical Hearing Impairment:  https://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/hearing/cent_hearing.html

Cortical Hearing Impairment is sometimes referred to as Auditory Processing Disorder (in some states). The American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) has a practice portal including guidelines for the diagnosis of Auditory Processing Disorder, which requires a thorough comprehensive audiological assessment, and hearing loss is ruled out as part of testing. https://www.asha.org/Practice-Portal/Clinical-Topics/Central-Auditory-Processing-Disorder/  ~

Editor’s note: Emma Nelson, MS.Ed., the Early Identification and Intervention Initiative Lead at the National Center on Deaf-Blindness (NCDB).

H&V Communicator – Spring 2020