Reports an 18-month longitudinal study of sign language acquisition in very young children of deaf parents. Results indicate that some revision of views on cognitive prerequisites for language is necessary. Implications for nonspeaking populations and for developmental theory are discussed. Reviews briefly sign language training programs for…

The study involving 60 undergraduate students investigated sign language as a function of sign translucency (the perceived relationship between a sign and its referent) and referential concreteness. Translucency and concreteness levels were varied and naive sign language learners attempted to learn a list of sign referent pairs. Results indicated…

Examines the similarities between British Sign Language and West Indian Creole, both in their social development and structural similarity. Pertinent educational implications are discussed. (EKN)

Described are the background and results of use of a total communication approach (combining speech, speechreading, gestures, formal sign language, fingerspelling, printed word, cursive writing, and reading) with a non-deaf, mentally retarded boy (15-years-old) lacking communication skills. (LS)

Nine children suffering from Landau-Kleffner (L-K) syndrome and 25 children with developmental expressive disorders were tested for comprehension of English grammatical structures in spoken, written, and signed language modalities. L-K children demonstrated comprehension problems in all three language modalities and tended to treat language as…

Discussed are communication techniques for the deaf and hard-of-hearing science students. Instructional resources and materials available to aid the science teacher for communicating with these handicapped students are also included. Communication techniques listed include interpreters, notetakers, and tutors. Sign language and simultaneous…

Discusses the potential of sign language as a tool in teaching reading to normal hearing children and the success of this method with individuals who have various communication disorders. (EJS)

Reports on the 1974 visit of the Linguistics Delegation to the People's Republic of China, specifically to two schools for the deaf. Outlines the role, goals, methods and curriculum of education for the deaf in that country. (CLK)

The history and development of various sign languages in Europe and America are described, and the characteristics of manual communication systems are discussed. Modifications of sign language have been used to communicate with nonvocal austic children, severely language-delayed children, and retarded adults. (CTM)

This paper discusses problems and offers suggestions related to mainstreaming hearing impaired students into composition classes. The minimum language proficiency necessary to mainstream a student is described first, followed by the recommended procedure to actually move a hearing impaired student into a regular composition classroom. Listed among…

This report, arising from a 1991 meeting, provides an update to two of the six areas covered in the 1989 long-term plan of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. These include: (1) balance and the vestibular system; and (2) language and language impairments. For each area, the state of the art is reviewed, recent…

Reviews a study on deaf native sign language. Indicates that the modification of natural perceptual categories after language acquisition is not bound to a particular transmission modality, but rather can be a more general consequence of acquiring a formal linguistic system. (Author/SK)

Repercussions of "Language and Education of the Deaf" by Herbert R. Kohl are examined as a followup. The original study described the education and achievement of profoundly deaf individuals in America, presented a critique of the literature that had grown around the problems of the deaf, and focused on the relative failure of deaf education.…

This paper describes the linguistic development of two hearing sons of deaf parents. Both were exposed to an early language environment different from that of the average hearing child. At the start of the study, the boys were aged 3 years, 9 months, and 1 year, 8 months, respectively. When first observed, the older child performed well below age…