In educational settings, where decisions must regularly be made related to what type and focus of services to provide, having a parent/caregiver advocate in their corner can be very important to children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In this article, the author presents how to best support families and caregivers who are disconnected,…

This study investigates the personal communication memories and experiences of adult deaf people during their childhoods in their homes. In order to obtain relevant information in depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty four Cypriot deaf individuals between the ages of 19 to 54 years with different family and school…

This collection of conference presentation handouts covers various aspects of helping parents of deaf children to become facilitators of conversational skill development. The handouts include: definitions of "pragmatics" and "conversations"; a listing of characteristics of a successful adolescent conversationalist; an…

The use of a teletypewriter (TTY) to help a primary grade deaf child better communicate with hearing peers is described by the child's parents. The article addresses obtaining the two TTY machines, involving the teacher, learning to use the machine by both deaf and hearing children, and the machine's value for developing language skills in…

This digest uses a question-and-answer format to address issues that parents should consider when thinking about the total communication (TC) approach for a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. Total communication is explained as the use of any/all modes of communication (manual, oral, auditory, and written) depending on the needs of the child.…

Offers hearing parents of deaf infants guidelines on communicating with their child based on changes that deaf mothers make in their signing when talking to their deaf baby. Guidelines focus on restricting language, sign repetition, dramatic expression, waiting for the child's attention, tapping to gain attention, and visual leading. (DB)

The onset and maintenance of visual attention to signing was observed in three profoundly deaf children (ages two and three) while interacting with their hearing mothers about a picture story. All children experienced problems with the need to focus simultaneously on the mother's signs and the picture book. Suggestions for developing visual…

This digest discusses hearing loss in children. Topics covered include: (1) the causes of hearing loss and the three major types of hearing losses, conductive loss, sensorineural loss, and central auditory processing disorder; (2) the federal definitions of "deaf" (hearing loss which adversely affects educational performance and which is…

This paper on postsecondary education addresses students whose hearing impairments fall in the range from profound deafness to a slight loss of hearing. The paper begins with a discussion of definitions and communication methods. Options in academic postsecondary settings are outlined, including mainstream colleges or universities, specially…