Deaf children with autism spectrum disorders.
Deaf children show about double the usual rate of autism, so screen them carefully.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Storch et al. (2012) counted how many deaf or hard-of-hearing 8-year-olds also have autism.
They used survey data from the United States. No lab tests or teaching were done.
What they found
About 1 in every 59 deaf children carried an autism diagnosis. That rate is roughly double what is seen in hearing children.
The finding signals that autism is easy to miss or mis-label when a child cannot hear.
How this fits with other research
Smith et al. (2010) saw the same 2× jump in Icelandic adults with severe intellectual disability, showing the pattern repeats across countries and age groups.
Hastings et al. (2001) tracked Iceland’s general autism rate rising across birth years, proving that wider diagnostic awareness can also inflate numbers. The U.S. deaf data fit that upward curve.
Fombonne et al. (2020) widened the lens to autistic adults, cataloging high rates of anxiety and ADHD. Together these papers form a chain: special populations carry more autism, then more added diagnoses follow.
Why it matters
If you serve deaf or hard-of-hearing clients, plan on twice the chance of autism. Build extra screening steps into your intake: use visual supports, check for social-communication red flags, and rule out language delays caused by hearing loss alone. Share the finding with audiologists and teachers so no child slips through the cracks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Epidemiological studies investigating the prevalence of autism have increased in recent years, within the United States and abroad. However, statistics as to how many of those children may also have a comorbid hearing loss is lacking. The prevalence of school-administrator reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (clinical diagnosis [DSM-IV] and/or IDEA classification) among children with hearing loss in the US was estimated from the 2009–2010 Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth conducted by the Gallaudet Research Institute. Results indicate that during the 2009–2010 school year 1 in 59 children (specifically 8-year olds) with hearing loss were also receiving services for autism; considerably higher, than reported national estimates of 1 in 91 (Koganet al. in Pediatrics 124(4):1–8, 2009) and 1 in 110 (CDC 2007) for hearing children. Significantly more children with profound hearing loss had a comorbid diagnosis of autism than those with milder forms of hearing loss. These results are discussed, while highlighting the need for increased awareness and research in a population that has thus far received little services or attention.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012 · doi:10.1007/s10803-012-1452-9