The Study
Susan Bruce, assistant professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, explored the issue of learned helplessness as it relates to children who are deaf-blind. In the article, she outlines for caregivers and teachers best practices to prevent or reduce learned helplessness in these young people.

The Findings
In the literature, learned helplessness in relation to congenitally deaf-blind children refers to a passivity that is both pervasive and enduring. The passivity interferes with the drive to learn and achieve. The loss of both distance senses creates the need for children to rely on others to motivate them to explore because it is the distance senses that motivate children to move beyond themselves. For Bruce, it is essential that congenitally deaf-blind children be supported to learn how to control aspects of their environment through experential learning; otherwise, they will become increasingly more passive in their attempts to interact with the environment. She offers a number of suggestions for preventing learned helplessness: support children in building attachments, have appropriate expectations for them, provide a safe and predictable environment, model persistence, recognize and reinforce children¹s initiations, and teach at the appropriate level for each child.

What It Means to You
Learned helplessness occurs when an individual cannot control outcomes. Deaf-blind children do not have the use of both distance senses and thus are particularly susceptible to this condition. Teachers and caregivers, however, can adopt practices that can prevent or reduce learned helplessness.

More Information
To read the article, please consult Marks, S.B. (1988). Understanding and preventing learning helplessness in learners who are congenitally deaf-blind. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 92(3), 200-211.

<back to 2000 ed-Research Reports