Problems of identification of sensory impairments and deafblindness in the nowadays children with congenital disabilities

Abstract

This review provides an overview of the challenges of identifying dual sensory impairment in children with congenital disabilities. The concept of deafblindness and the special needs of the group with hearing and visual impairments are reviewed. The difficulties of defining this condition due to the heterogeneity of this group are emphasized. The evolution of the etiology of sensory impairment, typical for recent decades, is described, due to the progress of medical science, which makes it possible to keep alive children with severe genetic pathologies and those born considerably prematurely. The characteristics of cerebral hearing and visual impairments, still insufficiently studied but coming to the forefront in terms of prevalence among children in developed countries, as well as the features of their identification are presented. The difficulties in the organization of psychological and pedagogical assessments of children with congenital dual sensory impairment and the interpretation of their results are considered. The conclusion about the importance of the functional approach in the assessment of sensory functions in children with congenital complex disabilities is formulated.