Citation

Willis RG, Vernon M. Am. Ann. Deaf 2002; 147(1): 31-37.

Affiliation

Mental Health Center for the Deaf, Western State Hospital, Staunton, VA, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, Conference of Educational Administration Serving the Deaf and Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf, Publisher Gallaudet University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12061189

Abstract

A survey of the literature on emotional disturbance in deaf youth is followed by presentation of data on a sample of 58 deaf children and adolescents who were patients at the Tampa Bay Academy, a residential treatment facility serving both hearing and deaf youth with serious psychological disturbances. These 58 patients were compared to a hearing sample of 168 patients on key variables such as admitting symptoms, diagnoses, substance abuse, aggressive and assaultive behaviors, and sexual abuse. A startling and significant finding was that all of the deaf children admitted at age 12 years or younger had strong or confirmed indications of sexual abuse. Deaf adolescents had an 85% rate of strong or confirmed indications of sexual abuse. A list and brief description of residential care facilities serving deaf youth in the United States and Canada is reviewed. Only 8 were found that provided specialized services to deaf youth. Of those 8, only the National Deaf Academy, Mount Dora, FL, provided exclusive mental health and residential care to deaf persons.

Language: en