Development in deaf and blind children

Having different levels of sight or hearing leads to different childhood developmental pathways. This article briefly describes these pathways and the research evidence currently available. Approximately 1 in 10,000 children are born blind and 11 in 10,000 are born deaf. The main cause of developmental delay in these children is usually to do with co-morbidities such as other neurological problems or syndromes. The second mechanism relates to different experiences of the world, which in turn are mediated by how the family and environment supports and interacts with the child. The corollary of this is that professionals and family have an important role to play in creating the conditions in which children can thrive.