Congenital deaf-blindness is when a person is born without hearing and sight. This, depending on the level of auditory/visual loss and other factors like environment and other conditions, could greatly affect the individual’s communication and basic self-care skills. Acquired deaf-blindness is developed later in life, through an injury, illness, or age. People who have had the opportunity to undergo a “normal” childhood are often more adaptable to different methods of communication, especially those involving knowledge such as spelling, a concept of labelling, space and of communication itself. Congenital deafness/acquired blindness is when someone is born deaf and loses their sight later in life due to injury, age, or illness. Congenital blindness/acquired deafness happens when someone is born without sight, and then later loses their hearing due to injury, illness, or age.
Speech Written communication Graphic and non-tactile symbols Tactile symbols and object cues Gestures/movement cues Facial expressions or noises which indicate a feeling or opinion Manual sign language Tactile sign language Braille Touch cues[1] X Research source Symbolic action (e. g. taking you to the tap for a drink)
Be especially pushy about assessment and action if the deaf-blind individual is a child, as this is the critical period (most important time) for development and will affect the child’s communication for the rest of their life. If possible, get the medical practitioner to test the type of hearing loss the individual has. Different hearing aids may have varying levels of success depending on where the problem in hearing lies. As well as typical inner-ear hearing aids, ask about bone-conducting hearing aids, which can be fitted on headbands and glasses for ease of wearing. Tests should ideally be conducted several times, especially if communication is a considerable issue. This ensures that results are accurate, rather than representing a day when the person was not feeling communicative.
Changes in body language Pre-written notes or cards Recordings or utterances Changes in the person’s breathing Changing facial expressions Physical actions (such as taking you to the fridge for food) If they reach for your hands, this could be an attempt to communicate.
Memorize the finger-spelling hand signs. Take an ASL (American Sign Language) class. Consider learning finger braille, a modern, Japanese way of signing with your fingers.
Spend time with your loved one so that you can pick up even a subtle change to their demeanour, behaviour and communication patterns. Enthusiastically and overtly encourage any and every small communication success they have with them. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Talk to their teachers or other people who spend time with them. If they’re in education (of any shape or form) then there ought to be goals for the individual - or at least specific lessons. If they’re not in education, you could seek it, or seek an expert. Alternatively, you could come up with some simple things yourself. Try accompanying one specific command with a sign if you think they might be able to see you. Repeat the sign every time you ask that of them, until they can anticipate what you will be doing with them from the sign. Maintain a healthy routine which enriches their life, because at the end of the day, your loved one’s happiness is more important than any amount of communication.
