11 - Hard-of-Hearing and Deaf Clients: Using the WISC-IV with Clients Who Are Hard-of-Hearing or Deaf

Abstract

This chapter intends to help clinicians understand the unique issues that arise when they use the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) with deaf or hard-of-hearing children. The primary concern confronting examiners who are charged with assessing the intelligence of deaf and hard-of-hearing children is differentially diagnosing intellectual deficits from experiential deficits. Deaf and hard-of-hearing children vary substantially in their means of communication. Slightly more than half (54.9%) of the deaf and hard-of-hearing students in U.S. schools receive instruction using formal sign systems, and slightly less than half (44.5%) are taught exclusively via speech. Examiners must identify relevant communication needs and ensure they accommodate those needs when communicating with and assessing deaf or hard-of-hearing children who rely primarily or exclusively on spoken communication. Given the complexity of these issues, examiners should consider carefully whether they have the competence for assessing deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Research on tests of intelligence using deaf and hard-of-hearing examinees yields a number of findings that examiners should consider when interpreting test scores.