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Although reading outcomes for children with hearing loss are improving, too many of these children continue to display persistent reading difficulties. Because of these difficulties, there is an ongoing need to understand the nature of the relationships among decoding abilities, language skills, and reading achievement in this population more fully. Coincidentally, there has also been an emerging literature on the subjective fatigue in children with hearing loss, which could be directly or indirectly linked to reading ability. The purpose of this study was to examine associations among language abilities, reading skills, and subjective fatigue in 56 children with mild to moderate hearing loss (CMMHL). The results indicated that both phonological awareness and receptive language ability predicted reading achievement in CMMHL, which replicates findings for children without hearing loss. The results also indicated that CMMHL who had poor reading skills reported significantly higher levels of subjective fatigue relative to the other children with mild to moderate hearing loss in the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early intervention is widely recommended for children at risk of difficulties with speech, language and communication. Evidence for effective practice remains limited due in part to inherent difficulties in defining complex interventions and measuring change. The innovative Language Environment Analysis (LENA) system has exciting potential for early intervention and for evaluating outcomes. LENA is used widely in the USA; however, there is little to guide the introduction of this new technology in the UK. Successful implementation of new technology is predicted by its perceived acceptability and usefulness. This qualitative pilot study aimed to explore the acceptability of LENA for UK families with a young deaf child. Four families used LENA to record for one day. They received and discussed LENA feedback reports with a specialist speech and language therapist. Using qualitative methodology with a pragmatic epistemology, semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data explored using thematic analysis. Three families were positive about using LENA; they identified benefits of the feedback, suggested important factors for future use and would recommend it to other families. One family chose not to complete the recording. Key to acceptability is parental understanding of LENA’s purpose and the need for a trusted professional to facilitate interpretation and change. LENA is acceptable for some UK families with a young deaf child suggesting there is potential for successful implementation. Further study to explore LENA’s usefulness is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated whether core vocabulary intervention (CVT) improved single word speech accuracy, consistency and intelligibility in four 9-11-year-old children with profound sensori-neural deafness fitted with cochlear implants and/or digital hearing aids. Their speech was characterized by inconsistent production of different error forms for the same lexical item. The children received twice weekly therapy sessions for eight weeks. Fifty target words were drilled and changes in production assessed for accuracy and consistency. Generalization of consistency and accuracy was assessed on non-targeted words. There were four assessment points: six weeks pre-therapy; immediately before therapy; immediately following therapy and six weeks post-therapy. In addition, 10 unfamiliar listeners judged the intelligibility of audio recordings of the children's speech before and after therapy. The children's consistency and accuracy of single word production improved following CVT. Consistency generalized to untreated words. Sentence intelligibility ratings improved and more target words were identified after therapy. These case studies suggest that C V T merits further investigation as an effective intervention approach for deaf children, enhancing consistency, accuracy and intelligibility of speech. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The qualitative study described in this article examines the knowledge of basic concepts demonstrated by six young deaf children* with high/low levels of mathematical ability as measured by performance on a formal (i.e. Bracken Basic Concept Scale) and informal (i.e. classification/sorting task) assessment. Findings indicate that children with lower mathematics ability, as measured by the Test of Early Mathematics Ability (TEMA-3), also demonstrated limited understanding of basic concepts and weaker thinking skills as evidenced by a lack of ability to categorise or classify at a level comparable to their more mathematically able peers. Such performance suggests that a foundation in basic concept knowledge and thinking skills may be critical to the development of early numeracy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achievement in mathematics is an issue of great concern not only to students and parents but also to employers and researchers in Kenya. This is because the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) has continuously reported dismal results in this area, and especially in geometry. Also, KNEC indicates that it presents difficulties to both the teachers and learners during instructional sessions. In an extension of research demonstrating causal effects of electronic learning environments on special education learners' achievement and perceptions of mathematics instruction, the present study experimentally examined the effectiveness of a special electronic learning program (SELP) to improve hearing-impaired learners' achievement of basic geometry and their perception of the Geometry learning environment. Sixty-six hearing-impaired learners from four special education schools situated in Rift Valley province were sampled purposively on the basis of the school's accessibility to participate in the study. The study employed the Solomon-Four Group Design research method. The specific dependent measures were the learners' achievement in geometry and their perception of the classroom learning environment. Measurement of achievement and perception were conducted using two instruments: (i) the Geometry Achievement Test (GAT), and (ii) the Special Learners Classroom Environment Questionnaire (SLCEQ). GAT's reliability was computed using K-R20 formula yielding a reliability of 0.78. On the other hand, SLCEQ reliability was determined using Cronbach alpha yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.82. The study established that SELP was modestly effective in improving the achievement of hearing-impaired learners on geometry and their perception of the classroom environment. The study concludes that teachers can arrest the special learners' problem of poor performance in geometry through the use of electronic learning programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four-year-old Olivia, who is deaf and has used a cochlear implant for 3 years, and her mother, Laura, enjoy looking at storybooks together at home. During storybook reading, Laura notices that Olivia tries to imitate some words that she reads to her yet does not seem to understand many words or story events. Laura is unsure whether to stop the storybook interaction and encourage Olivia’s attempts at word imitation and directly teach her the new vocabulary or continue reading the story for pleasure. Olivia’s preschool teacher, Ms. Lynn, also notices that Olivia displays a keen interest in storybook reading but is not able to answer or ask simple questions about the story. What can Laura and Ms. Lynn do collaboratively to support Olivia’s emerging language and literacy skills to better prepare Olivia for her upcoming transition into kindergarten? [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The ability to organize the referential content of narrative has usually been investigated as a mark of the development of discourse skills. In this study, the pragmatic use of pronominal and nominal forms of reference in written stories was considered instead as a mark of literacy development in deaf and hearing students. Participants in the study were 17 deaf high-school students, 17 school-age matched hearing controls, and 16 hearing second-graders (novice writers) who were asked to write a picture-story, Frog, Where are you?, for a hearing reader who was unacquainted with it. Results revealed that deaf students appear to use the same variety of referential devices as hearing students when writing and, in most cases, these devices are used appropriately. However, the referential strategies of the deaf students were more nominal and less anaphoric than those of their hearing peers. It is concluded that the referential strategies of deaf writers are only superficially similar to those of hearing novice writers, suggesting that deaf students' referential strategies in writing are not merely the product of a delay in development of discourse skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) creates a high-stakes environment by holding schools accountable for how all students perform on state assessments, including students with disabilities and students who are English Language Learners. The focus of this article is on the impact of NCLB on students who are deaf or hard of hearing (SDHH). The SDHH have diverse linguistic characteristics and are served in a range of educational settings. The purpose of this article is to explore the hidden benefits and consequences of NCLB policy on SDHH in two areas: assessment and accountability. Drawing on findings from the author's program of research, the article illustrates areas where policy may differentially affect students depending on their state of residence and educational setting. The discussion ends with a summary of benefits and hidden consequences of NCLB for SDHH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of deaf children's early literacy raises fundamental issues about their access to language, experiences of early interaction and literacy development. However, we currently understand very little about how young deaf children develop literacy skills given their exceptional linguistic circumstances. This review explores early literacy practices in the homes of young deaf children to identify the commonalities and differences apparent in spoken language and sign bilingual homes. The introduction of the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP), which is currently taking place, aims to diagnose congenital deafness in the first few weeks of life, followed by immediate involvement of a team of professionals with the child and family, including a teacher of the deaf. This provides a unique opportunity to explore early literacy practices in homes, and identify ways in which teachers and parents/carers can work collaboratively to facilitate deaf children's early literacy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveys of 163 preservice, novice, and experienced teachers of students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing addressed practical knowledge and adherence to classroom rules of practice (brief statements of how to behave in frequently encountered teaching situations) and practical principles (general constructs about expectations of students). No significant differences were found among the three groups in their adherence to rules of practice about structuring of lessons, engagement of students with the curriculum, principles of classroom management and lesson planning, and lesson procedures. Significant differences were found for practical principles such as expectations for student achievement, ability of students to take responsibility for their education, and classroom deportment; preservice teachers had the highest expectations, and experienced teachers had the lowest. These findings raise several questions that are explored in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes a collaborative summer program with the fields of deaf education and speech-language pathology. Collaboration models used; Program participants; Program structure; Details of the sample lesson plan; Benefits of the program to participants.

Children with minimal hearing loss are often not identified, and the educational implications of their hearing disability are unrealized. Because children with special learning problems have been shown to have a higher incidence of hearing loss than typical learners (Flexer, Millin, & Brown, 1990), special educators should be particularly aware of this significant issue. The purpose of this article is to clarify what is meant by minimal hearing loss (MHL), to summarize issues associated with MHL, and to describe instructional modifications for children with MHL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reading requires two related, but separable, capabilities: (1) familiarity with a language, and (2) understanding the mapping between that language and the printed word (Chamberlain & Mayberry, 2000; Hoover & Gough, 1990). Children who are profoundly deaf are disadvantaged on both counts. Not surprisingly, then, reading is difficult for profoundly deaf children. But some deaf children do manage to read fluently. How? Are they simply the smartest of the crop, or do they have some strategy, or circumstance, that facilitates linking the written code with language? A priori one might guess that knowing American Sign Language (ASL) would interfere with learning to read English simply because ASL does not map in any systematic way onto English. However, recent research has suggested that individuals with good signing skills are not worse, and may even be better, readers than individuals with poor signing skills (Chamberlain & Mayberry, 2000). Thus, knowing a language (even if it is not the language captured in print) appears to facilitate learning to read. Nonetheless, skill in signing does not guarantee skill in reading—reading must be taught. The next frontier for reading research in deaf education is to understand how deaf readers map their knowledge of sign language onto print, and how instruction can best be used to turn signers into readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes general visual teaching strategies for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Development and use of graphic organizers; Illustrative unit and lesson using graphic organizers.

Discusses writing assessment rubric as an instructional approach with deaf students who are struggling in their writing. Modifications of the strategy; Rubrics for instruction; Creating and using rubrics; Bridge between instruction and assessment.

Presents tips on how hearing parents can read effectively and teach their children who are deaf. Adapting strategies of deaf parents during shared readings; Use of visual strategies for reading; Ways by which teachers can support parents in the use of the said strategy; Comparison of the reading behavior of deaf and hearing parents.

Examines the processing of information by skilled and average deaf readers. Comparison of the reading ability of various deaf readers on five indicators of cognitive processes. Focus of indicators on fluency in processing visual information and application of higher-level processes; Intergroup similarities; Whole language instructional practices; Policy recommendations.

Focuses on the Self-Help InterPersonal Skills (SHIPS) assessment for youth who use sign language. Problems in assessing the educational abilities of deaf children; Use of interactive videodisc technology in SHIPS; SHIPs as the first valid assessment to use American Sign Language (ASL); Plans for a CD-ROM version of SHIPS.

Discriminant analyses were conducted to investigate differences in social-psychological family environment dimensions between young deaf students with high and low academic performance scores in reading comprehension, mathematics concepts, and mathematics computation. Parental responses (N=125) to scaled items presented in a semistructured home interview procedure were factor analyzed and the derived family environment dimensions were employed as predictor variables. Parents of proficient readers were characterized as adapted to their children's deafness, involved in the deaf community, and permissive rather than overprotective in their child-rearing orientation. Across all three academic areas, high achievers had parents with high educational and occupational expectations and standards. Recommendations are made for school program application and professional preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Describes how to get a dialogue writing project based on a project involving deaf students exchanging journals with hearing peers. Potential applications where physical or social isolation is a problem; Realistic writing situation where the response to the audience is crucial. INSETS: What is a dialogue journal?.;2 years, 700 students: A dialogue journal writing..;Helpful hints for dialogue journals..

Examines whether instructions to use specific word coding strategies affected deaf students' recall of words.

Investigates the deaf children's knowledge of internal human anatomy. Methodology; Assessment of children's knowledge of internal body parts using a projective drawing test.

The article presents information about the public school system in Kansas City, Kansas. Open-air schoolrooms are provided for children with tuberculosis. The Kansas City school system provides educational opportunities for physically and mentally handicapped children. There are special schools for deaf children. In schools in Kansas City, special attention is given to the teaching of music. The schools also conduct several art education programs.

Introduces articles about the emergent and early literacy, published in the November 2001 issue of the periodical 'Learning Disabilities Research and Practice.' Challenges and needs of deaf children as they learn to read; Implementation of interventions with children who are at risk for reading failure; Conceptual models for research to predict, explain and prevent reading difficulties; Use of neuroimaging in reading research.

The article highlights the experimental diagnostic teaching clinic for hearing impaired children. A diagnostic teaching program was designed to correlate educational judgments of medical and paramedical personnel with those of teachers. The diagnostic teaching program was characterized by several unique features. Such features include a 1-1 teacher pupil ratio for 11 children, immediate attention to amplification needs, seminar sessions for teacher personnel conducted by an audiologist and psychologist, and provisions for medical or diagnostic reports as needed by the teachers. Each session, from which individual diagnostic teaching took place daily, was followed by group activities conducted by teacher aides. The evaluations by the teachers also included the administration on various tests, which were incorporated into the daily program.

The article reports on an investigation of the impact of governance, admission policy, admission procedures, denied admission procedures, the individualized instruction system, and the assignment of deaf students to state-run schools for the deaf in the United States. Results showed that there is a need to determine the kind of disabilities, in addition to deafness, that can be served by these schools. The autonomy of residential schools for the deaf in rejecting students is questionable in view of the purpose of Public Law 94-142.

The article presents several periodicals related to auditory impairments including "Panel on publications and public relations; convention of…Washington State School for the Deaf, Vancouver, Washington, June 28 to July 3, 1953," "Pure tone audiometry with young children; a procedure for detecting small losses of hearing," by Margaret Empey, "Use of the performance scale of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children with the deaf child," by E. Ellis Graham, "Towards a new understanding of the deaf child," by Helmer R. Myklebust and "Needs and objectives in teaching arithmetic to the deaf," by Thomas H. Poulos.

The article reports that the Executive Committee of the Council on Education of the Deaf in the United States have approved a scheme for the proper individualized educational programs for deaf and hearing impaired children. The council is composed of representatives from the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, the Conference of Executives of American Schools for the Deaf, and the American Instructors for the Deaf.

Examines the relationship between and instructional effectiveness of visuals and captions in videotape/film instruction for hearing-impaired students. Rationale behind the preparation of captioned instruction; Three instructional treatments used; Similarity of visual and verbal decoding capabilities of deaf and hearing students.

Presents a biographical sketch of Harriet Burbank Rogers. Pioneer oral teacher of the deaf in Massachusetts; Partnership with Honorable Gardiner Greene Hubbard; Establishment of first permanent oral school for the deaf in the United States; Death of Rogers in North Billerica, Massachusetts, in 1919.

The article reports on the hiring of about 50 teachers by public schools in the United States for instruction of hard-of-hearing children. This is according to a report of the commission on education of the American Federation of Organizations for the Hard of hearing. Normal courses are offered for training teachers of speech reading.