Considerations for Psychological and Neuropsychological Evaluations with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities

HNS Heritage Month 2022

Dr. Jesús O. Barreto Abrams

Dr. Yessica Rodriguez

CE Form

This presentation will examine demographic characteristics of traditionally underrepresented and marginalized Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals and discuss how they should be considered in the context of a neuropsychological evaluation. Recommendations on how to better provide services to DHH patients and their families will be presented. We will also discuss barriers to conducting culturally sensitive evaluations with DHH patients.

  1. Identify the importance of a thorough clinical interview when serving DHH patients.
  2. Create protocols that best fit DHH patients from diverse backgrounds and intersecting identities.
  3. Describe different cultural factors that impact neuropsychological performance in DHH patients.
HNS is a cross-cultural society &
welcomes members from all ethnic groups.
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  • Committed to Inclusion
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DELIA SILVA, PSYD, ABPP

Dr. Silva’s parents immigrated from Panama and Chile to the United States, and she was born and raised in melting pot that is New York City. She grew up speaking Spanish at home and feels fortunate to have grown up in an environment where cultural diversity was the norm, not the exception.

During her training to become a neuropsychologist, Dr. Silva was often asked to work with Spanish-speaking patients, though most training sites did not have supervisors who also spoke Spanish or had sufficient cultural knowledge relevant to Latinx populations. She joined HNS as a student and found mentorship and training resources that helped her gain competency in providing neuropsychological services to these patients. Dr. Silva has served on the HNS Board as Member-at-Large (2014-2016) and Secretary (2019-2022). She has also been involved with several committees over the years and is currently serving as the Chair of the Information Technology (IT) Committee. She views HNS as the main organization to promote development of professional resources and scientific advancements in neuropsychology that are specific to Latinx groups; she is honored to help the organization in any way she can. 

Dr. Silva is the owner of Pacific Neurobehavioral Clinic, PC, a group practice in San Diego, California that offers neuropsychological evaluation and psychotherapy services to adults with various neuropsychiatric conditions. She engages in clinical and civil forensic work and oversees the clinic operations.

Educational, training and professional experiences include:

  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology – Florida Institute of Technology
  • Post-doctoral fellowships – Fullerton Neuropsychological Services, St. Jude Medical Center (one year; neurorehabilitation) and University of California San Diego (one year; clinical neuropsychology)
  • Staff neuropsychologist at Sharp Memorial and Grossmont hospitals from 2009-2012
  • Board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in Clinical Neuropsychology
  • Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) for the state of California
  • Treasurer and Current Chair of California Psychological Association-Division 8 (Neuropsychology)

In her spare time, Dr. Silva enjoys playing and making music (piano and electronic instruments; she recently took up learning how to play the theremin), playing tennis, karaoke, and spending time with family and friends.