BIAP Recommendation n° 21/1

MULTIPLE DISABILITIES AND HEARING IMPAIRMENTS

ASPECTS OF PREVENTION IN CHILDREN

The mission of the 21-BIAP technical commission is to study the specific problems which arise when dealing with children suffering from multiple disabilities and hearing impairments.

In such patients, various specific audiophonological aspects have to be dealt with which do not arise in the case of children suffering only from hearing impairments. These specific aspects are related to the multiple expression of the disability and the various types of associated disorders:

-aspects related to prevention, detection and confirmation of the diagnosis.

-aspects related to the audioprosthetic fitting, control and follow-up

-educational and pedagogical aspects

These aspects are all too often not taken into account when dealing with a child suffering from multiple disabilities. Unfortunately, this often results in the development of secondary disabilities which contribute to overburdening the child.

For such children, hearing, together with other sensory instruments, plays a capital role in the development of symbolic communication. Developping the child's communication abilities implies taking into consideration his/her sensory, motor and mental capacities and exploiting them precociously, globally and competently.

For all these reasons, the 21-BIAP technical commission has decided to focus, in a first stage, on the prevention aspects of multiple disorders accompanied by hearing impairments. The educational and pedagogical aspects, which are specific to each type of associated disorder, will be dealt with in subsequent recommendations.

Palma (E) 01.05.92