An experimental program is described that teaches hearing parents to develop communication skills in young deaf children. Emphasis is on the increased use of visual information including attentiveness to the child's visual cues, appropriate use of natural gestures, and incorporation of visual analogs to intonation and rhythm in simultaneous…

This article describes three aspects of visual communication in the context of training parents to communicate more effectively with a deaf child. The communication strategies described are appropriate to a deaf child's need for visual information: visual listening, visual expression, and visual cuing. Specific skills for enhancing parents' visual…