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Diagnostic overshadowing is the existence of a primary diagnosis that alters the diagnostic and treatment recommendations resulting from a secondary disability. It biases school psychologists' diagnostic and treatment ratings of behaviorally disordered learners with a primary diagnosis of learning disabilities or profound deafness. This article demonstrates that school psychologists may provide different diagnostic ratings as a consequence of the primary diagnosis of profound deafness. School psychologists in this study were also less likely to provide therapeutic interventions, more likely to recommend general curriculum interventions (e.g., vocational and academic training), and less likely to recommend a change in the educational program for deaf students as a consequence of the behavioral reaction. Professional experience in working with deaf learners did not appear to be an intervening variable.

A number of authors have noted the high incidence of social skill deficiencies associated with hearing-impaired learners. Although the literature frequently includes information regarding the proportions of the problem, there is a notable absence of empirical demonstrations that facilitate the development of prosocial responses. The present study investigated the efficacy of a social skill training program designed to enhance four consumer-related interpersonal skills. Program components included a card game, modeling, feedback, contingent reinforcement, and behavior rehearsal. A multiple-baseline-across-subjects research design was used to demonstrate the effect of these procedures on trained and untrained responses for four hearing-impaired adolescents. In addition, data from covert natural environment assessment suggested that newly acquired skills generalized outside the training setting.

The professional literature has devoted substantial attention to the coexistence of hearing impairments and other handicapping conditions. There has also been a notable rise in services for learners who have these conditions. Unfortunately, the literature offers few resources to help teachers meet the unique educational needs of this population. This article provides a rationale and procedural guidelines for developing current and relevant curriculum objectives for multiply involved hearing-impaired students. Emphasis is placed on procedures for establishing instructional priorities, assessing the learner against these priorities, selecting and using prosthetics to overcome learning and behavioral deficits, providing educational activities, and completing a summative evaluation of the learner's progress.

Recent literature has highlighted the importance of therapeutic services directed at improving the social competence of hearing-impaired youth. Unfortunately, little attention has been given to social development approaches applicable to classroom settings. This paper reviews eight major strategies that may be employed by teachers of hearing-impaired youth. Strategies range from environmental management to skill training approaches. Finally, observational procedures are discussed for identifying individual program approaches that surpass the general strategies.

According to the World Health Organization, about 2 billion people drink alcohol. Excessive alcohol consumption can result in alcohol addiction, which is one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric diseases afflicting our society today. Prevention and intervention of alcohol binging in adolescents and treatment of alcoholism are major unmet challenges affecting our health-care system and society alike. Our newly formed German SysMedAlcoholism consortium is using a new systems medicine approach and intends (1) to define individual neurobehavioral risk profiles in adolescents that are predictive of alcohol use disorders later in life and (2) to identify new pharmacological targets and molecules for the treatment of alcoholism. To achieve these goals, we will use omics-information from epigenomics, genetics transcriptomics, neurodynamics, global neurochemical connectomes and neuroimaging (IMAGEN; Schumann etal. ) to feed mathematical prediction modules provided by two Bernstein Centers for Computational Neurosciences (Berlin and Heidelberg/Mannheim), the results of which will subsequently be functionally validated in independent clinical samples and appropriate animal models. This approach will lead to new early intervention strategies and identify innovative molecules for relapse prevention that will be tested in experimental human studies. This research program will ultimately help in consolidating addiction research clusters in Germany that can effectively conduct large clinical trials, implement early intervention strategies and impact political and healthcare decision makers.