Impaired Adolescents Research Articles

The Analysis of Relationship between Hearing Impaired Adolescents' Mentoring EXPerience and Ego-identity - The Emphasis on Special High School for Hearing Impaired Students -

본 연구에서는 전국의 청각장애 특수학교 고동부에 재학 중인 남녀학생 260명을 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하여 청각장애 청소년의 개인적 배경변인에 따른 멘토링 경험 및 자아정체감을 알아보고, 청각장애 청소년의 멘토링 경험과 자아정체감 간의 관계를 고찰해 보았다. 연구 결과 청각장애 청소년의 개인적 배경변인에 따른 멘토링 경험 및 자아정체감은 청각장애 청소년이 느끼는 의사소통 수준과 주요 의사소통 방법에 따라 통계적으로 유의미한 차이를 보였다. 또한 청각장애 청소년의 멘토링 경험과 자아정체감은 통계적으로 유의한 상관관계를 보였으며, 멘토링의 세 가지 하위기능 중 역할모델 기능을 제외하고 진로개발 기능과 심리사회적 기능은 자아정체감과 유의한 상관관계를 보였다. 이러한 결과는 추후 특수교육 현장에서 청각장애 청소년의 긍정적인 자아정체감 형성을 위한 멘토링 프로그램을 실행해 보는데 기초자료로 활용 될 수 있을 것이다.

O autoconceito do adolescente deficiente auditivo e sua relação com o uso do aparelho de amplificação sonora individual

Para o adolescente com deficiência auditiva, o processo de formação da identidade tem nuances próprias. Além do conflito específico da fase, ele tem que formar sua identidade como pessoa que possui uma perda auditiva e que necessita usar aparelho de amplificação sonora individual (AASI). Considerando que os fatores que influenciam o uso desse recurso são inúmeros, este trabalho teve por objetivo verificar a relação do autoconceito do adolescente deficiente auditivo (DA) com o uso do AASI, a partir da percepção do próprio adolescente e de seus pais. A Escala de Autoconceito - EACIJ - e questionários foram aplicados a 30 adolescentes deficientes auditivos, com idades de 12 a 16 anos, em tratamento no Centro de Distúrbios da Audição, Linguagem e Visão (CEDALVI) do HRAC/USP e a seus pais. Os resultados mostraram que a maioria dos adolescentes estudados faz uso efetivo de seu AASI e tem autoconceito positivo. Concluiu-se que o uso constante desse recurso está associado às boas condições do autoconceito e ao suporte psicossocial da equipe multi / interdisciplinar.

An acoustic and perceptual study of initial stops produced by profoundly hearing impaired adolescents

This study investigated the role of Voice Onset Time (VOT) as perceptual cue to the aspiration contrast of Cantonese initial stops produced by adolescent profoundly hearing impaired speakers. Speakers with normal hearing signalled the aspiration contrast through VOT differences. Hearing impaired speakers produced initial stops with no significant VOT differences between aspirated and unaspirated stops; the accuracy of perception were above chance level for unaspirated stops but were below chance level for aspirated stops. Discriminant analysis conducted on data from a perceptual task showed that listeners with normal hearing relied on VOT cue for aspiration contrast of initial stops produced by control speakers. By contrast, stops produced by the hearing impaired speakers were not distinguished by listeners on the basis of VOT in that listeners were able to rely on VOT as a perceptual cue only to unaspirated stops, but not to aspirated stops.

Predictors and Moderators of Acute Outcome in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS)

To identify predictors and moderators of response to acute treatments among depressed adolescents (N = 439) randomly assigned to fluoxetine, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), both fluoxetine and CBT, or clinical management with pill placebo in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS). Potential baseline predictors and moderators were identified by a literature review. The outcome measure was a week 12 predicted score derived from the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). For each candidate moderator or predictor, a general linear model was conducted to examine main and interactive effects of treatment and the candidate variable on the CDRS-R predicted scores. Adolescents who were younger, less chronically depressed, higher functioning, and less hopeless with less suicidal ideation, fewer melancholic features or comorbid diagnoses, and greater expectations for improvement were more likely to benefit acutely than their counterparts. Combined treatment, under no condition less effective than monotherapy, was more effective than fluoxetine for mild to moderate depression and for depression with high levels of cognitive distortion, but not for severe depression or depression with low levels of cognitive distortion. Adolescents from high-income families were as likely to benefit from CBT alone as from combined treatment. Younger and less severely impaired adolescents are likely to respond better to acute treatment than older, more impaired, or multiply comorbid adolescents. Family income level, cognitive distortions, and severity of depression may help clinicians to choose among acute interventions, but combined treatment proved robust in the presence of moderators.

Suicidal Adolescents' Social Support from Family and Peers: Gender-Specific Associations with Psychopathology

Perceptions of social support from family, non-family adults, and peers were examined in relation to the psychopathology reported by 220 suicidal adolescents (152 females) during a psychiatric hospitalization. Results of regression analyses showed that, among females, family support was negatively related to hopelessness, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation. Among males, peer support was positively associated with depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Across gender, more peer support was associated with more externalizing behavior problems; whereas, family support was negatively related to these problems and to alcohol/substance abuse. Paralleling normative findings, age was positively associated with peer support, and females perceived more peer support than did males. Findings extend previous research on social support to suicidal adolescents, and broaden the literature by examining extrafamilial support and a broader range of relevant psychopathology. That is, perceived social support relates to psychiatric impairment differentially by gender, and normative, age-related variations in perceptions of social support are detected even among highly impaired adolescents. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

An Acoustic and Perceptual Study of Final Stops Produced by Profoundly Hearing Impaired Adolescents

This study investigated formant frequencies for their role as acoustic and perceptual correlates to the place of articulation of Cantonese final stops produced by profoundly hearing impaired speakers. Speakers were 10 Cantonese adolescents (mean age=13;5 [years;months]) who were profoundly hearing impaired (HI). Control speakers were 10 adolescents (mean age=13;5) with normal hearing. Stimuli were Cantonese words that were minimally contrastive in place of final stops (/p, t, k/). Listeners were 10 final-year speech therapy students. The frequencies of F1, F2, and F3 were measured at the middle, 40 ms before the end, and at the end of the vocalic segments. Control speakers distinguished place contrasts through formant frequency differences at the end positions of the vowels. HI speakers produced final stops with missing formant transitions and neutralized vowels preceding final stops. Listeners relied on F2 transition cues for stops produced by control speakers, whereas F1 and F3 transition cues were used for stops produced by HI speakers. Formant frequencies of final stops produced by HI speakers showed reduced place distinction. When listeners identified the place of final stops produced by HI speakers, they relied on formant frequency cues that were different from those used for stops produced by control speakers.

Adolescent health care expenditures: a descriptive profile

Purpose To examine health care spending patterns for U.S. adolescents aged 10 to 18 years using nationally representative household survey data. Methods We analyzed data from the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey on total expenditures and out-of-pocket expenditures for health care based on a sample of 4882 adolescents. Results Compared with that for adults, health care expenditures for adolescents were low, averaging $799 per adolescent in 1997. Disabled and functionally impaired adolescents had disproportionately high expenditures ($1960 per capita). Blacks and adolescents living in poor families had disproportionately low expenditures ($358 and $609 per capita, respectively). Professional services provided by physicians and dentists accounted for more than one-half of all health care spending for adolescents. Only 2% of adolescents were hospitalized in 1997, but they accounted for about one-fifth of all health care expenditures. The share of health expenditures paid out of pocket varied by type of service, ranging from 3% for inpatient hospital care to 51% for dental care. When covered, insurance provided substantial financial protection for families of adolescents: those with public coverage paid 8%, those with private coverage paid 32%, and those without coverage paid 61% of their health care bills out of pocket. The share of health care bills paid out of pocket would be much lower if dental care was excluded. Conclusions On the basis of our findings that health care expenditures for adolescents are low and that insurance coverage provides critically needed financial protection, we conclude that further expansions of public and private health insurance coverage for this population would provide significant benefits at modest additional cost. Additional efforts to improve coverage of services that are not now well-covered, such as dental care, would also be valuable.

The Effects of Assertiveness Training on Enhancing the Social Skills of Adolescents with Visual Impairments

This study, of the effects of assertiveness training to enhance the social/assertiveness skills of 26 visually impaired adolescents, found that the adolescents’ social skills were judged differently by parents, the students themselves, teachers, and observers and that the training had some specific effect on increasing the participants’ assertiveness.

Relationships with parents and friends, self‐esteem and depression among adolescents with visual impairments

Social relationships with parents and friends, depression, and the mediating role of self‐esteem between relationships and depression were studied among 115 adolescents with visual impairments attending regular Finnish schools. The control group consisted of normally sighted classmates of visually impaired adolescents (N=607). The data were collected using a self‐report questionnaire. The results showed no significant difference in the prevalence of depression between visually impaired adolescents and the control group. However, there was a trend toward an excessive risk of depression among girls with visual impairments compared to girls without visual impairments. In addition to being male, higher scores of relationships with friends was an important protective factor against depression among adolescents with visual impairments. The impact of relationships with friends, on depressive symptoms was mediated through self‐esteem. Unlike in controls, relationships with parents was not an explanatory factor of depression in adolescents with visual impairments. The mechanisms and processes explaining the various effects of relationships with parents and friends on self‐esteem and depression need further investigation through longitudinal studies.

Sexual Knowledge of Taiwanese Adolescents with and without Visual Impairments

A survey of the sexual knowledge of 104 visually impaired and 180 sighted adolescents in Taiwan revealed that the sighted adolescents were better informed than were the visually impaired adolescents and that both groups were least knowledgeable about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the most knowledgeable about anatomy. The sighted adolescents sought information mainly from their peers, and the visually impaired adolescents did so from their teachers.

Effect of Output Limiting Levels upon the Speech Perception Skills of Congenitally Hearing Impaired Adolescents

The present study investigated the impact of different output-limiting levels on the speech-perception skills of three severely hearing-impaired adolescents. It also explored the impact of reducing SSPL settings on aided sound-field thresholds and hearing-aid gain. AGCo settings were gradually decreased using the participant's own programmable hearing aids. At each SSPL setting, speech perception was measured in quiet using a computer based 50-item CNC word test. Changes in aided sound-field thresholds, gain, and SPLograms were also measured. Speech-perception scores decreased with reductions in SSPL settings, with the most marked deterioration occurring at the lowest SSPL settings. Inspection of speech SPLograms indicated that these students were able to achieve maximum speech perception over a wide dynamic range; however, as the dynamic range became more limited, speechperception skills began to deteriorate. Reduced SSPL produced a reduction in gain. When the gain reductions reduced the aided articulation index to about 0.4, a significant reduction in speech perception was observed.

Social Support and Self-esteem among Adolescents with Visual Impairments

The social support and self-esteem of 115 adolescents with visual impairments (who were blind or had low vision) who attended mainstream Finnish schools and a control group of 607 sighted classmates of 66 visually impaired adolescents were assessed using a self-report questionnaire. The study found that the self-esteem of the sighted and visually impaired adolescents did not differ and that relationships with friends significantly contributed to the enhancement of the self-esteem of the adolescents with visual impairments.

Effects of Serial Position on Bender-Gestalt Errors Using Koppitz's Criteria

The validity of the Koppitz Developmental scoring system in identifying organic impairment among functionally impaired adolescents was challenged in the current study. It was proposed that there are two distinct subtypes of errors in this system: those that are valid indicators of organic impairment (Category A) and those which are not but occur as a function of specific emotional factors (Category B). 46 male adolescents with a primary diagnosis of Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were administered the Bender-Gestalt once using the standard order of administration and once in reverse order. It was hypothesized that more errors would be committed on cards presented later than those presented earlier in sequence for Category B but not Category A errors. Analysis provided partial support for this hypothesis.

Lifestyles of Adolescents with Visual Impairments: An Ethnographic Analysis

The first study of the Social Network Pilot Project provided quantitative data on the lifestyles of 32 adolescents with visual impairments and 16 who were sighted. This article reports on the second study, an in-depth ethnographic analysis of 3 of the visually impaired adolescents from the first study.

The Personal Networks and Social Supports of Blind and Visually Impaired Adolescents

This article describes a study of the personal networks and social supports of 316 blind and visually impaired adolescents, aged 14–23, in The Netherlands. The study found that the mean size of these adolescents’ personal networks was 15 persons, compared to 15–20 for sighted adolescents. The oldest adolescents had the largest networks, and the blind adolescents had the smallest. The female and oldest adolescents had more friends, whom they considered important sources of support. However, for all the adolescents, parents were the most important source of support.

Sexual health contraceptive needs of adolescents with chronic conditions.

Except for the most severely impaired adolescents, youth with disabilities are no less likely to be sexually active than peers. They have the same sexual and marital aspirations as those of peers but feel they are less likely to realize them. They are more likely to receive sexual counseling or sex education from parents. Most sexual problems are learned and result more from isolation than impairment. Most young people with chronic and disabling conditions do not have body image problems. Thus, clinicians need to be able to provide accurate contraceptive guidance as well as sexual health information.

Speech therapy with a group of hearing impaired adolescents II: mutual nonverbal involvement in therapy sessions

Speech therapy conversations between five dyads, consisting of senior speech pathology students and hearing-impaired adolescents enrolled in a Total Communication programme, were videorecorded for five weekly sessions. Samples over one-minute intervals at the start, middle, and end of the sessions were analysed for nonverbal behaviour at 3-second periods on 5-point scales covering body orientation, body position, eye gaze, facial expression, head position, and gesture/hand movement. Combination of the six resulting scores produced composite scores, which analysis of variance showed to differ significantly between dyads, sessions, intervals, and conversation partners (students versus adolescents). There were also significant interactions between dyads X sessions, dyads X partners, and sessions X partners. Examples using simple time series analysis complemented the analysis of variance by describing evidence for cyclical involvement between conversation partners.

Addressing the problem of low self‐esteem in speech and language impaired adolescents

ABSTRACT A significant number of pupils at the authors' specialist school for severe specific speech and language impairment have references to low self‐esteem in their Statement of Special Educational Needs. It was decided to begin addressing this problem by running a social skills group for adolescent pupils with the objective of helping them to regard themselves more highly. A programme was devised which encouraged them to value their strengths and interact positively with each other. After the group had run for six months their class teachers were interviewed and they reported that, overall, the pupils' self‐esteem had improved. This perception was validated by the questionnaire responses of pupils in a social skills group for school leavers who all felt more confident than when they were first admitted to the school and some identified group work as a way in which they had been helped. A distinction is drawn between social skills intervention for pupils with low self‐esteem and those with low self‐awareness, i.e. with semantic and pragmatic difficulties.

Mental health needs of deaf and hearing impaired children and adolescents

Diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems in individuals suffering from deafness or severe hearing impairment poses particular challenges. This is recognised for adults by the provision of specialised services based in London, Birmingham and Manchester but for children and adolescents there is only a specialised out-patient service based at Springfield Hospital in London which has itself only been in existence two years. This day conference of invited hearing and non-hearing professionals held in Birmingham in October 1994 considered how appropriate services might further develop.

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