Children with disabilities are at greater risk of presenting social-emotional problems. In the present study, the presence of emotional problems in preschool children with visual impairment, hearing impairment, and typical development was compared in total, externalizing and internalizing problems and respect to specific syndromes. The group with sensory disabilities presents significantly more emotional problems on the total scale and externalizing problems than the typical developmental group. Distinguishing by type of disability, the analysis showed that the three groups differ significantly only in the total and externalization scales. Finally, we analyzed the prevalence of risk and clinical ranges for the three main groups. Even when the differences are not statistically significant, they choose to be greater in the groups with sensory disabilities. The results are discussed around the importance of early detection and prevention of socio-emotional problems, which is essential to promote a better quality of life for people with disabilities and avoid mental illnesses in the future.

Hearing impairment; Visual impairment; Socio-emotional problems; Externalizing problems; Internalizing problems.