Cognitive behavioral therapy accessible to deafblind children

The application of Cognitive Behavior Therapy to patients with special needs is still in an emerging phase. As for deafblind children, the scientific literature is severely lacking. The authors contribute to the subject by reporting the experience of a group of 20 Italian deafblind children supported by Centro Assistenza per Bambini Sordi e Sordociechi Onlus (CABSS) during the pandemic in 2020.The authors will focus on the lockdown and the immediate post-lockdown of the pandemic when deafblind children suffered a major setback. When children cannot establish contact with their environment and with others, they become fragile and suffer negative repercussions in their development. Physical contact and connecting with others are extremely important for the mental health of deafblind children who, even under normal circumstances, are at high-risk of social isolation.CABSS designed a remote online intervention to help deafblind children dealing with anxiety and sadness during the pandemic. The intervention actively involved children’s parents and allowed them to intervene with cognitive-behavioral strategies while following the principles of early intervention specific to childhood deafblindness. The results achieved demonstrate that cognitive-behavioral strategies made accessible and adapted to the children’s unique needs were highly effective.

Keywords: ; Deafblindness; Deafblind children; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Covid-19

Stefania Fadda, Giusy Caravello, Marta Cidronelli, Laura Harripersad, La Terapia cognitivo-comportamentale accessibile ai bambini sordociechi in "QUADERNI DI PSICOTERAPIA COGNITIVA" 53/2023, pp 43-58, DOI: 10.3280/qpc53-2023oa16931