Effectiveness of Encouragement Training in Alleviating Depression among Mothers of Children with Hearing Impairment

Mothers of children with hearing impairment are highly vulnerable to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. This study was done to assess depression in mothers of hearing impaired children and the effectiveness of encouragement training in alleviating depression in them. This study is an experimental, pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The population of this research consists of mothers of children with hearing impairment in Tehran city. Using random sampling, 40 mothers of children with hearing loss who were enrolled in the Centre, and scored 19 to 29 points (moderate depression to severe depression) in the Beck Depression Inventory, were selected randomly from Tehran rehabilitation centers and assigned randomly into two groups: 20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. The experimental group was given 10 sessions of group encouragement training (two sessions of 90 minutes a week). Symptoms of depression in both groups were evaluated before (pre-test) and after (post-test) of the intervention program. Research data were analyzed using covariance analysis method. Findings of the study indicated that group encouragement training program reduced the symptoms of depression in the experimental group more significantly (p > .01) than in the control group. Effectiveness of group encouragement training program in alleviating mother's depression needs more theoretical and practical implications. Therefore, it is necessary that in rehabilitation programs for children with hearing impairment, attention needs to be given to address the emotional dimensions of the family and the maternal psychological status, besides the usual services provided

Marital Satisfaction of Iranian Deaf Women: The Role of a Life Skills Training Program

Given that marital satisfaction and the factors influencing it are of high importance among deaf women, the present study aimed to examine the impact of life skills training on the marital satisfaction of deaf women in the Iranian Deaf Association (IDA). A multiple-baseline, single-case experimental design was conducted. The statistical population consisted of all deaf women in the IDA during 2014-2015. A total of 3 deaf women who met the inclusion criteria were selected using a purposeful sampling method. They participated in a 9-session life skills training program for 45 minutes a week. The instrument used in the present study was the 47-item version of the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS). The data from repeated measures was processed using the trend comparison charts, and the clinical significance of the data was determined using the recovery rate formula. The results from the trend comparison charts, recovery rate formula, and visual analysis showed that the life skills training improved the marital satisfaction of the samples. According to the study findings, it can be concluded that life skills training improves the marital satisfaction among deaf women. Therefore, the method used in the present study can be recognized as an appropriate method in psycho-educational interventions for strengthening family foundation and improving marriage durability of deaf couples at the beginning of marriage

A Persian Cued Speech Website Fromthe Deaf Professionals’ Views

Objectives: Increasingly people are using the internet to find information about medical and educational issues and one of the simplest ways to obtain information is internet. Persian Cued Speech is a very new system to Iranian families with deaf child and the professionals and a few educators have enough knowledge about it, so the purpose of this study was to introduce Persian Cued Speech website to deaf educators and rehabilitation professionals and assess their views about the website and their accessibility to important information through its use. Methods:The sample group was randomly selected fromdeaf educators and rehabilitation professionals working in different educational settings for deaf children in Tehran, our capital .They completed a questionnaire which was adopted from different website assessing questionnaires. Researchers also completed an interview with the sample group. Results: Our findings show that from the deaf educators and rehabilitation professionals point of view,the Persian Cued Speech website was a helpful and informing website. They also wanted more pictures and videos,bigger font sizes and more practical parts.So we decide to change some parts of the website to be more usable for them. Discussion: Using informational websites can be a very helpful tool in the internet area. Helpful websites are those which are more accessible, readable and appropriately designed and are user-friendly

Emotional development in deaf children: facial expression, emotional understanding, display rules, mixed emotions, and theory of mind

Background and Aim: Various studies indicate that deaf children compared with hearing children have problems in all aspects of emotional development, including facial expression, emotional understanding of display rules, mixed and contradictory emotions and theory of mind. This article reviews studies of impaired emotional development in children with hearing impairment.Recent Findings: Some findings indicate that young deaf children function similar to hearing children. The difficulty in understanding display rules experienced by deaf children can be explained by appealing to their inability to adequately express emotions in emotion-eliciting contexts, as opposed to their difficulty in understanding mental states. Overall, research findings indicate that emotional understanding in various aspects and dimensions is associated with children's language abilities.Conclusion: Results obtained show that more aspects of deaf children 's emotional development (such as interpretation and recognition of facial expression) are similar to that of their peers. However, deaf children performed more poorly in tasks which required experience in understanding display rules and theory of mind . Recent findings generally demonstrate that language plays an important role in the emotional development of children. Therefore, deaf children in comparison to hearing children are less able performers

Cued speech: full access to spoken language for the hearing impaired

Background and Aim: A system that could make speech visible to deaf people has been dreamt of for long time. Several systems have been developed during recent decades; with the most popular being cued speech invented 50 years ago by Cornett (1967). The aim of this article is to review researches about cued speech and its efficacy on different language skills of hearing impaired children.Methods: In this article we reviewed researches on cued peech and its impacts on speech and literacy of hearing impaired children. We searched Medline, Proquest and Scopus search engines with the "cued speech" keyword and read all textbooks and thesis published between 1972 and 2011. Cued speech is an oral system which makes the sounds visible and accessible. It makes speech perception much simpler and improves lip-reading skills and ability of using residual hearing in hearing impaired children.Conclusion: Cued speech enhances children's communication and speech perception and discrimination from early ages. It improves speech and ability to benefit from cochlear implantation. The original impetus behind cued speech was to improve literacy levels of hearing impaired children and it has been found to be uniquely successful

The Effectiveness of Emotional Intelligence Training on Communication Skills in Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Objectives: Emotional intelligence skills begin at home, and with positive interactions with parents and other children. Parents can help children recognize their emotions, name them, and learn how to respect their feelings and adapt to social situations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional intelligence training on the communication skills of students with intellectual disabilities. Methods: This study was quasi-experimental, with a pre-test, post-test design and a control group. The sample consisted of 32 educable students with intellectual disabilities (14-18 years old). Results: The results showed that the intervention program had created a significant difference between the scores of the experimental and control groups (P<0.05), and that the scores for communication skills were increased, both post-test and also in the experimental group follow-up (P<0.05). Discussion: Emotional intelligence training enhanced the communication skills of students with intellectual disabilities. Teachers, professionals, and clinicians could use these training in their practices

Effectiveness of Encouragement Training in Alleviating Depression among Mothers of Children with Hearing Impairment

Mothers of children with hearing impairment are highly vulnerable to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression. This study was done to assess depression in mothers of hearing impaired children and the effectiveness of encouragement training in alleviating depression in them. This study is an experimental, pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The population of this research consists of mothers of children with hearing impairment in Tehran city. Using random sampling, 40 mothers of children with hearing loss who were enrolled in the Centre, and scored 19 to 29 points (moderate depression to severe depression) in the Beck Depression Inventory, were selected randomly from Tehran rehabilitation centers and assigned randomly into two groups: 20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group. The experimental group was given 10 sessions of group encouragement training (two sessions of 90 minutes a week). Symptoms of depression in both groups were evaluated before (pre-test) and after (post-test) of the intervention program. Research data were analyzed using covariance analysis method. Findings of the study indicated that group encouragement training program reduced the symptoms of depression in the experimental group more significantly (p &gt; .01) than in the control group. Effectiveness of group encouragement training program in alleviating mother's depression needs more theoretical and practical implications. Therefore, it is necessary that in rehabilitation programs for children with hearing impairment, attention needs to be given to address the emotional dimensions of the family and the maternal psychological status, besides the usual services provided

Behavioral problems in deaf populations: a literature review

Background and Aim: Studies have found that deaf individuals have higher rates of psychiatric disorders, such as behavioral problems, than those who can hear. The aim of this review was to provide a summary of the literature on behavioral problems, with specific reference to deaf individuals. The objectives of the review were to establish the prevalence of behavioral problems in deaf populations; describe the risk factor for behavioral problems in deaf populations; and describe approaches to intervention and behavioral problems prevention that have been used in deaf populations.Recent Findings: A review of articles published between 1991 and 2013 showed that the prevalence of behavioral problems in deaf people is higher than that of hearing people. Risk factors for behavioral problems in deaf populations include language impairments, communication problems, the role of parents, and the community’s beliefs and attitudes regarding the issue.Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of behavioral problems in deaf people, the effectiveness of prevention strategies should be examined. Consequently, it would be advantageous to increase the availability of specialist mental health services, promote deaf awareness including their abilities, promote awareness and skills development among teachers, staff, and specialists and implement behavior change programs

Psychometric Properties of Dunn\'s Sensory Profile School Companion

Objective Sensory processing refers to reception, adjustment, and integration of sensory information sequentially and generates adaptive responses. People need to have appropriate sensory processing abilities for functioning adequately in the environment and be able to participate in activities of daily living. Dunn's sensory processing model consists of two constructions. The first construction involves neurological thresholds, and the second construction concerns self-regulation. When the two continuums are connected, four basic patterns of sensory processing appear. The four models are: sensation seeking (including representation of high thresholds and active self-regulation strategy), sensory avoiding (including representation of low thresholds and active self-regulation strategy), sensory sensitivity (including representation of low thresholds and passive self-regulation strategy), and low registration (including representation of high thresholds and passive self-regulation strategy). Sensory processing patterns can be seen in each age group from infancy to adulthood. These patterns are different for people with disabilities such as autism, attention deficit disorder/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, Asperger syndrome, developmental disorders, and learning disabilities compared to those without disability. Dunn sensory profile school companion is provided to assess sensory processing patterns in children. As sensory processing plays an important role in the daily life of people, the purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of Dunn's sensory profile school companion in children and students in the age group of 3-11 years. Materials & Methods The study was a descriptive-analytical one. The population consisted of all children and students aged between 3 and 11 years and studying in Tehran schools in the academic year 94-95 and those who attended preschools. The sample consisted of 384 children and students who were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Dunn's sensory profile companion was used to collect data. Dunn's sensory profile companion is a standardized measurement tool for assessing sensory processing abilities of children and students in the classroom and school and preschool environment. This tool was built by Winne Dunn. This profile are using for age range from 3 years to 11 years and 11 months and be completed by teachers and educators . Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach's alpha was used to draw inferences from the data. Results Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the validity of the sensory processing profile school companion. The results showed that sensory processing profiles are school companion and four factors had construct validity (P<0.001). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was used to evaluate the reliability. Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha for the entire questionnaire was 0.879, and for sensory registration, sensation seeking sensory sensitivity and sensory avoiding was (0.818) (0.885), (0.825) (0.812), respectively. Thus, this confirms that the sensory processing profile school companion and four factors are reliable. Conclusion The results showed that Dunn's sensory profile has good reliability and validity. Dunn's sensory profile is a useful tool for assessing sensory processing patterns in school and kindergarten settings, and can be used by occupational therapists in clinical environments and by psychologists in educational environments. Information obtained from this profile can have diagnostic value and could also be used for the design of curriculum and classroom space

Attitude of Regular and Itinerant Teachers Towards the Inclusion of Hearing Impairment Children

Objectives: Inclusive education is a process of enabling all children to learn and participate effectively within mainstream school systems. It does not segregate children who have different abilities or needs. This article explores the attitudes of regular and itinerant teachers about inclusion of hearing impairment children in their schools in general education. Methods: In a descriptive Survey research design, the sample included 100 teachers (50 regular and 50 itinerant) who were selected randomly, according to a multistage sampling method. Data was collected by using questionnaire with 32 questions regarding their attitudes. One-way Analysis of Variance and t-test were performed to obtain between- group comparisons. Results: The results indicated that the teacher's positive attitudes towards inclusive educational system of students with hearing impairment. Significant difference in attitudes was observed, based on the teaching experience, gender, level of teaching. The results also indicate that most teachers are agreeable to the inclusion of students with hearing impairment in their classrooms. Discussion: successful inclusion for hearing impairment children in regular classrooms entails the positive attitudes of Regular and itinerant teachers through a systematic programming within the classroom