Turkish families with deaf and hard of hearing children: a systems approach in assessing family functioning.

The aim of this descriptive study was to determine areas in which families of deaf and hard of hearing children need support for and enhancement of their children's habilitation process. For this purpose the Family Assessment Device (FAD) was given to 40 families with deaf and hard of hearing children and 20 families with hearing children. Results indicated no significant differences between families with deaf and hard of hearing children and families with hearing children on communication, roles, affective responses, affective involvement, behavior control and general functioning but problem solving. These results are discussed in the context of prior research on deaf and hard of hearing children.