A Study of Psychosocial Adjustment Pattern of Hearing Impaired Children in Reference to Speech Therapy

The present study attempts to explore psychosocial adjustment pattern of hearing impaired children in reference to speech therapy. The target population were deaf students of age range 9-16 years with severe to profound hearing loss, out of which 40 students were selected by random sampling technique. A 2×2 factorial design was used where before and after speech therapy was matched with level of sex. Pre and post therapy assessment was conducted with the help of selected tools-An audiometer was used to measure the type and degree of hearing loss. Psychosocial adjustment inventory developed by Pal (1995) was used to assess the social and emotional adjustment pattern of children. A hearing aid which provides amplification of distant sound to hearing impaired children was also used. After individual scoring, cumulative scores of all the respondents on each assessment tools before and after speech therapy were compiled and calculated. Results indicated that pre and post therapy group differ significantly on social, and emotional adjustment.