In England, the term 'multi-sensory impairment' (MSI) has come to overlap with other labels, which is problematic for both research and practice. We undertook a scoping review of empirical studies conducted in England over the past 20 years on MSI and overlapping labels. We designed and used a review protocol and combined multiple searching…

In this article we review the empirical evidence for the presumptions that children with disabilities are at increased risk for child maltreatment, and parents with disabilities are more likely to perpetrate child abuse and neglect. Challenges to the epidemiological examination of the prevalence of child maltreatment and disabilities are…

A review of the literature concluded that (1) hearing impairment and any additional handicapping condition constitutes a multihandicap; (2) one-third of all hearing-impaired students are estimated to be multihandicapped; (3) appropriate school programs are lacking; (4) there is a scarcity of teacher training programs in this area; and (5) training…

This paper focuses on definitions, incidence, and characteristics of the multihandicapping condition known as "learning disabled, hearing impaired," in order to provide a means of identifying these children and determining whether or not they require different teaching strategies. (JDD)

The article addresses the issue of definitional problems in the area of severely disabled. The historical evolution of definitions of the term is outlined. Introductory and specialized texts are analyzed and major definitional problems are identified. Recommendations for improving population descriptions are offered. (Author/CL)

This paper presents a definition of deaf and hard of hearing children with learning disabilities; notes the incidence of children with both disabilities; outlines roadblocks to learning; describes screening, diagnosis, and assessment practices; and offers suggestions for educational programming. (JDD)

Disability is a human constant: all human societies have and have always had disabled members. Although the presence of such individuals is a constant, culturally shared responses to them vary greatly across time and social context. (Author/BJV)

The article discusses the provision of educational services to multiply handicapped deaf children, as mandated by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142). Some problems of definition and of identification are reviewed, along with considerations in the identification and placement of such children. (DLS)

This paper addresses issues in the definition of traditionally underserved persons who are deaf. It notes that these people have traditionally been labeled as low functioning, low achieving, multiply handicapped, minimal language skilled, and disadvantaged. A new definition, developed by the Northern Illinois University Research and Training…

Critiques the assumptions about the nature and meaning of disability advanced in social-psychological writing, suggests the origins of these assumptions, and proposes a return to a Lewinian/minority-group analysis of the situation of people with disabilities. Introduces the other articles in this issue. (Author/ BJV)