Deaf and Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Impact on Child and Family

The goal of this study was to identify similarities and differences between individuals who are Deaf, who are hearing with ASD and those who are both Deaf and have ASD on measures of communication, behaviour, and social skills. In addition, information about parent/caregiver stress, coping, and empowerment was acquired to better understand the caregiver experience of these three groups. Results indicated a number of similarities between the Deaf-ASD and hearing ASD groups on measures of communication, social skills, and behaviour. Further, parents in the Deaf-ASD group identified experiences with stress and coping similar to parents in the hearing ASD group. In contrast, feelings of empowerment and decision making power in the Deaf-ASD group resembled that of parents in the Deaf group. While the similarities found within this study suggest that individuals in the Deaf-ASD group more closely resemble their hearing ASD counterparts, these results also indicate that Deafness may play a significant role in the presentation of the ASD features and the impact they have on caregivers, services, and diagnosis.