Interviewing deaf children, the interviewer effect: a research note

A highly structured diagnostic interview, the Child Assessment Schedule (CAS), was used to investigate the influence of the interviewer's signing ability and cultural status on the outcome of psychiatric assessments of signing deaf children and adolescents. Preliminary findings suggest that linguistic competence of the interviewer had a significant effect on the range of symptoms elicited at interview. In particular that poor competence leads to the masking of a child's emotional difficulties.