The article reviews a study of interactions among deaf children, their parents and teachers which points out the need for developing early and ongoing contact with the deaf community. It is stressed that English and American Sign Language be given equal status in the classroom. (CL)

The gap between oral and manual production of the 159 profoundly deaf children in total communication programs indicated that spoken English did not develop simultaneously with manually coded English and that Ss educated in programs using manually coded English did not develop competence with early developing English syntax faster than those not…

No significant differences were found between average reading ages of 14 hearing impaired students learning via the oral method (group 1) and 20 hearing impaired students learning via a sign system (group 2). Group 2 Ss wrote fewer words and shorter sentences but their sentences were more grammatically mature and more often correct. (CL)

R. Conrad's position that the use of forms of manual communication in the education of deaf students is highly effective and desirable is supported; however, a reinterpretation of his work is offered to provide a more solid theoretical base and to indicate judicious and appropriate strategies in educational practice. (Author/SW)

Discusses the implications of deafness for cognition and describes communicative systems (the oral method and sign language) for the deaf. Holds that parents of deaf children should teach them both signing and speaking. (GC)

The Spoken Language Predictor (SLP) can help determine the most appropriate communication mode in educating a profoundly hearing impaired child. The measure provides weighted scores for hearing capacity, language competence, nonverbal intelligence, family support, and speech communication attitude and results in three possible educational…

Fifteen deaf elementary-age children were observed in free play, and their interactions were videotaped. Differences were noted in the interaction and communication skills of children with early sign language experience and orally trained deaf children with late sign language experience. (CL)

Research is reviewed on bilingual education and its application to the education of hearing-impaired students. Assessment procedures for obtaining valid samples of language behavior, distinguishing between competence and performance, and considering language variation are emphasized. (CL)

Profiles Francis Green, father of a child with deafness, who became, in the late 18th century, the first American to publish an account of deaf education and to insist on the education of all children with deafness. Green's relationship with his son, perspectives on sign language and speech, and advocacy for schools for the deaf are recounted. (CR)

Describes research into the correspondence between speech and sign language by looking at simultaneous communication as it is used by fluent deaf persons. The study aims to determine what relationship, if any, exists between the morpheme level and the message level of utterances in discourse. (SED)

The relative effectiveness of total communication and oral communication training in a parent-assisted, home-based language intervention program was studied with 15 Down's syndrome children, 18-36 months old. (Author/SEW)

Three Spanish deaf preschoolers were taught receptive vocabulary in oral English, English sign-mix, oral Spanish, Spanish sign-mix, and sign alone. Subject one learned best using sign alone. Subject two performed best using oral Spanish or sign alone. Subject three seemed to profit from sign, Spanish sign-mix, or oral English. (Author/SW)

This paper discusses the issue of oral versus sign language in educating people who are deaf, focusing on Hungary, which currently emphasizes oralism and discourages the use of Hungarian Sign Language. Teachers of people who are hearing impaired are trained to use the acoustic channel and view signing as an obstacle to the integration of deaf…

Deaf children and hearing mothers using oral only communication spent significantly less time engaged in interaction than did mothers and children in the two groups using sign language or the hearing group. The major finding affirms the similarities between the deaf mother/deaf child pairs and the hearing mother/hearing child pairs. (Author)

Examines the differential mode usage (speech, vocalize, gesture and sign) of profoundly deaf preschoolers and their hearing mothers as a function of their level of communicative competence and method of communication. Relates simultaneous use of modes to higher communicative competence and specific pragmatic types of communication. (Author/MES)