Psychological and Psychoeducational Assessment of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Adolescents by Margery S. Miller

Author:Margery S. Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781563686504
Publisher: Gallaudet University Press
Published: 2015-11-18T11:21:01+00:00

Chapter 6

Methods of Determining Nonverbal Intelligence

Assessment is not only a science but an art that involves insight and judgment. The psychologist’s skills involve the ability to integrate and balance knowledge and history with quantitative and qualitative data obtained during testing. The psychologist’s expertise in selecting and administering relevant tests as well as making appropriate and insightful observations is another key to the assessment process. Assessment of the cognitive abilities of deaf and hard of hearing children and adolescents has historically presented a challenge to both psychologists and educators and requires highly specific knowledge and skills. The use of psychological tests with verbal content has been strongly discouraged when evaluating deaf and hard of hearing individuals, and nonverbal cognitive tests have been considered the most appropriate tools for assessing deaf and hard of hearing children’s cognitive abilities (e.g., Maller, 2003; Pintner & Paterson, 1915; Sullivan & Vernon, 1979; Vernon & Brown, 1964). However, this common wisdom regarding the exclusion of tests of verbal ability is being recently challenged somewhat by researchers and practitioners whose expertise is in the area of deafness. Their argument is that inner speech or language (regardless of modality) is used to reason and problem solve. As Akamatsu, Mayer, and Hardy-Braz (2008) stated,

[M]ath and science require skills in logical thinking, consideration of evidence, categorical thinking, manipulation of information, hypothesis generation, hypothesis testing, and argumentation, which are all highly symbolic and language-loaded activities. . . . The assessment of language abilities of deaf and hard of hearing students is also necessary for understanding their potential for achievement in mathematics and science. (p. 131)

Thus, their call is for a more comprehensive, nuanced assessment of the cognitive skills of deaf and hard of hearing children and not relying solely on nonverbal tests. Best practice still supports the use of nonverbal tests for estimating general intelligence in deaf and hard of hearing children (Akamatsu et al., 2008), but as psychologists we must understand the strength and limitations of nonverbal tests.

This chapter discusses issues related to the use of nonverbal intelligence tests with deaf and hard of hearing children, such as the degree to which a test is nonverbal, the degree of cultural and linguistic influences on these tests, and the extent to which these tests assess different cognitive abilities. It will address the appropriate use of nonverbal intelligence tests and the limitations associated with the use of language-reduced intellectual measures. Moreover, the chapter will explore the federal regulations in the identification of learning disabilities as it relates to deaf and hard of hearing children.

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