Prevalence of speaking and hearing disabilities among adults with traumatic brain injury from a national household survey

The purpose of this study is to provide prevalence estimates of the sociodemographic characteristics and extent of speaking and hearing disabilities among a community-based sample of adults (15 years and older) who have survived traumatic brain injury (TBI). This report is based on the Canadian Health and Activity Limitation Survey (1986-87), a national household survey of self-reported disabilities. Results indicate that adults with TBI with speaking or hearing difficulties tend to be male, middle-aged and older, urban dwellers, of relatively low income levels who are limited at work. Over 75% of adults with speaking difficulties report difficulty being understood by people outside their immediate family context. Hearing difficulties rise dramatically from 75% occurring with one communication partner to over 96% occurring with three partners. The mean duration of disabilities is 12.7 years for speaking and 13.5 years for hearing. More than 80% of adults with communicative difficulties have co-occurring disabilities of mobility and agility. Results have specific implications for functional assessment of adults with TBI and service delivery decision-making.