71 Profiles of Parent Ratings on the Behavior Assessment System for Children-Third Edition in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Authors: Herlihy Megan , Landsman Rachel , Fasano-McCarron Matthew , Spellun Arielle , Hasenbalg Samantha , Isquith Peter 
Published: December 2023

Objective:

Standardized assessment measures can provide data to inform a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Most measures assessing ASD characteristics rely on some degree of behavioral response to sound (e.g., responding to name, demonstrating listening response), and are often not appropriate for use with children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), especially with individuals who use signed languages. Few studies have reported on the Behavioral Assessment System for Children, Third Edition (BASC-3) for DHH children, and we aim to describe BASC-3 profiles in children with ASD who are DHH.

Participants and Methods:

Participants include eight DHH patients diagnosed with ASD through interdisciplinary team evaluations by developmental-behavioral pediatricians, speech-language pathologists, and neuropsychologists with expertise in DHH child development. Demographics include a mean age of 6.17 years, and 62.5% were Male. Self-reported racial distribution was 75% White, 12.5% Black and 12.5% declined to answer. Average Area Deprivation Index (marker of socioeconomic status) was 32.13%tile. As a part of the evaluation, parents rated their children using the BASC-3. Languages include spoken English (75%) and American Sign Language (25%). Relevant co-occurring

neurodevelopmental/psychological diagnoses include Global Developmental Delay (n=1), Moderate Intellectual Disability (n=1), and Depression (n=1). Types of hearing loss include sensorineural (75%), conductive (12.5%), and mixed (12.5%). Three participants had different degrees of bilateral hearing loss in each ear: mild sloping-severe, moderate rising-mild (n=1), profound, moderate rising-normal level (n=1), and profound, moderate (n=1). Four participants had the same level of hearing loss in both ears: moderate-moderately severe (n=1), moderately severe-severe (n=1), severe-profound (n=1), and profound (n=1). One child had a unilateral moderate hearing loss. Technology utilized: unilateral hearing aid (n=2), bilateral hearing aids (n=2), unilateral cochlear implant (n=1), bilateral cochlear implants (n=2), and bimodal technology (n=1). BASC-3 scales of interest in this study were the developmental social disorders scale (DSD), Autism probability index (AUI), clinical scales, and adaptive scales. BASC-3 scores were standardized using General Combined norms and means were plotted.

Results:

BASC-3 mean scores on clinical scales were elevated (T>60) on Atypicality (M=71), Hyperactivity (M=63), Withdrawal (M=63), and Attention Problems (M=65) in children with ASD who are DHH in this sample. BASC-3 mean scores on adaptive scales were below threshold (T<40) on Social Skills (M=37), Functional Communication (M=39), and overall Adaptive Skills (M=39). DSD scores were in the at-risk (T>60<70) range for 2 out of 8 cases and clinically significant (T>70) for 5 out of 8 cases.

The AUI was clinically significant for 2 out of the 3 cases within the age range for reporting AUI data.

Conclusions:

In this preliminary sample of DHH children with a confirmed diagnosis of ASD by comprehensive specialized interdisciplinary clinical evaluations, parent ratings on the BASC-3 were consistent with what is known about BASC-3 profiles in hearing children diagnosed with ASD. Our findings suggest it may be helpful to review the DSD, AUI, clinical scales, and adaptive skills scales profiles when assessing DHH children at risk for ASD. Further research, including a larger sample size and assessment of language differences among participants, is necessary.