Assessing Intelligence in Deaf and Hard of Hearing: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Abstract People with deafness or hard of hearing (DHH) are mistaken to be less intelligent, due to their poor spoken language skills. In the past, the expression “deaf-and-dumb” denoted that there was no difference between mentally challenged people and those who are deaf. This false impression was caused by earlier verbally heavy intelligence quotient tests, which were later fully corrected or fixed with the invention and usage of a large number of nonverbal or performance-based intelligence tests. This narrative review, which is based on secondary sources including 76 published studies in indexed journals, textbooks, book chapters, and doctoral dissertations that can be accessed online, is solely concerned with a systematic compilation of tools or tests for measuring intelligence in people who are DHH. This compilation, created following PRISMA principles, is presented and discussed in terms of themes, timelines, and format of the publications along with their implications for contemporary clinical practice and directions for future research.