Characteristics of the population of deaf and hard of hearing students with emotional disturbance in Illinois

The study summarizes a database for the years 1994-1999 on deaf and hard of hearing students in Illinois with a diagnosis of emotional disturbance (N = 115). Data are reported on the group's demographic, domestic, etiologic, communication-related, and intervention-related characteristics. These dually diagnosed students differed from Illinois's general population of deaf and hard of hearing students in many ways, including higher incidences of prematurity, prenatal trauma, and perinatal trauma. They were more likely to have had a later onset of hearing loss, to live in single-parent homes, to belong to an ethnic minority, to live in an urban or suburban area, and to qualify for low-income health care. Many had histories of abuse, 50% were regularly medicated, and 15% were assigned to surrogate parents.