Talkers vary widely in the ease or difficulty with which they can be speechread. Examined are variables contributing to visual intelligibility, comparisons with auditory intelligibility, the range of talker differences, characteristics accounting for these differences (facial cues, extrafacial gestures, rate, and rhythm), and implications for…

This paper deals with the auditory-verbal therapy process as implemented with two children (ages three and seven) with hearing impairments, enrolled in the Auditory-Verbal Therapy Programme of North York (Ontario) General Hospital. The paper contains audiological information, long-term objectives, and a detailed lesson plan for each child. (JDD)

Fourteen orally communicating children (ages 7-14) with hearing impairments were able to provide story retellings following repeated reading of two stories and role-playing of one of the stories. Results showed the children were capable of narrative production and that sophistication and complexity of retellings improved with role-play. (Contains…

The chapter examines audition and early intervention with hearing impaired infants, the normal development of audition, a model of auditory learning and teaching (involving discrimination, identification, comprehension, and detection), progression along the developmental sequence, natural interactions which aid learning, and parent role. (DB)

This paper discusses why and how parents of children with hearing impairments participate in the auditory-verbal approach. The components of therapy sessions are outlined, and techniques are described for developing listening skills, speech production, language, and communication in infants and toddlers. Effective teaching strategies are reviewed…