Even though ASL isn't as easy to learn as it may seem at first, more and more students are enrolling in ASL courses at both the secondary and university levels and choosing ASL as a primary area of study. For this reason the demand for ASL teachers is increasing, and the need for ASL teacher-preparation programs (ASL TPPs) has increased.…

Within the framework of a longitudinal study of deaf children with cochlear implants, 11 children with implants were interviewed. The objective was to shed light on what it is like for a child to use a cochlear implant, based on these children's own experience with implants, which ranged from 5.0 to 7.5 years. Six of the children were in schools…

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…

For more than a century, educators have recognized the low academic achievement of deaf children in America. Teacher training programs in deaf education historically have emphasized medical-pathological views of deaf people and deaf education rather than appropriate pedagogies that draw upon and build on deaf students' linguistic and cultural …

A collection of papers addresses a variety of issues regarding the nature and structure of sign language, gesture, and gesture systems. Articles include: "Theoretical Issues Relating Language, Gesture, and Space: An Overview" (Karen Emmorey, Judy S. Reilly); "Real, Surrogate, and Token Space: Grammatical Consequences in ASL American…

It is unclear how children develop the ability to learn words incidentally (i.e., without direct instruction or numerous exposures). This investigation examined the early achievement of this skill by longitudinally tracking the expressive vocabulary and incidental word-learning capacities of a hearing child of Deaf adults who was natively learning…

Following the development and standardization of the British Sign Language (BSL) Receptive Skills Test (Herman et al., 1999), the test was made widely available to professionals working with deaf children. Test users were asked to return completed score-sheets on individual children they had tested in order to compare a selection of children from…

The study examined the role of sign language and fingerspelling in the development of the reading and writing skills of deaf children and youth. Twenty-six deaf participants (13 children, 13 adolescents), whose first language was Chilean Sign Language (CHSL), were examined. Their dactylic abilities were evaluated with tasks involving the reading…

Students who are deaf often have great difficulty in accessing written English. A "bilingual" approach to education may help deaf students improve their literacy skills. This paper explains work in progress regarding two projects supported by the United States Department of Education, which explore the potential of interactive video…

This paper describes the first three stages of a 4-year study whose purpose is to examine the relationship between American Sign Language (ASL) and English literacy among 160 residential school children (ages 8-15) who are deaf. In the first stage, test instruments were developed, data collection procedures refined, sampling procedures planned,…

There have been increasing incidents of innocent people who use American Sign Language (ASL) or another form of sign language being victimized by gang violence due to misinterpretation of ASL hand formations. ASL is familiar to learners with a variety of disabilities, particularly those in the deaf community. The problem is that gang members have…

Sign Talk Development Project (STDP) is a four-pronged project that grows out of needs identified through the program of Sign Talk Children's Centre (STCC). STCC is a bilingual/bicultural day care for children of deaf parents in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The center offers programming in two languages, American Sign Language (ASL) and English; and in two…

This final report describes activities of a 4-year (1987-91) project at Western Maryland College to develop an 11-course graduate curriculum for teachers of American Sign Language (ASL) and teachers of ASL/English Interpreting. The curriculum formed the basis for two graduate programs at Western Maryland College. The project also developed six…

The effects of an early intervention program for 24 profoundly deaf children under 3 years of age were compared to outcomes for 12 deaf children who did not receive special intervention. The Counselling and Home Training Program, which serves families in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, is based on the philosophy of total communication with…