The acronym comes from the features associated with CHARGE syndrome which are as follows: C- coloboma of the eye, H- heart defects, A- atresia of nasal choanae, R- retardation of growth and/or development, G- genital and/or urinary abnormalities, and E- ear abnormalities and deafness.
[5] Goldenhar syndrome is a congenital genetic defect that affects the development of the mandible, ears, soft palette, nose, and lip.
[6] Congenital rubella syndrome, Cytomegalovirus, and toxoplasmosis are known to cause deafness or more severe complications in children during pregnancy.
[11] Commonly, Deaf individuals would learn sign language in order to communicate with others; however, due to the motor limitations that come with having cerebral palsy, this may be difficult.
[19] Co-occurring medical concerns for children with ASD include intellectual disabilities in 50–75%, seizures in 25–30%, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal difficulties in 16–85%, and pica eating disorder.
[20] When diagnosing a learning disability in an individual with hearing loss, it is important to differentiate if the achievement difficulties are due to a perception or processing problem.
Dyslexia can also include underlying visual and cognitive components, which will make reading acquisition even more difficult for those with hearing loss.
[25] Some researchers have speculated the inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity associated with ADHD in deaf children could just be an adaptive strategy to access information in auditory based environment.
A study from Gallaudet research Institute from 1999 to 2012 has shown Deaf schools across states had 40–50 percent of students with additional disabilities.