The view that a deaf child with autism is just that--a deaf child first (because of the critical importance of communication) and an autistic child second--is the more prevalent today, especially in larger educational programs. But this was not always the case. In the past, placement decisions often were determined in the opposite way: Many deaf…

The concept of total communication is being increasingly incorporated into educational programs for the deaf. Because American Sign Language plays a basic role in the deaf community, it must also be a critical part of education for deaf children. (Author/CL)

Describes two manual aids used in educating deaf children in Peking: the Chinese finger alphabet for teaching Chinese characters, and a new device being experimented with called the Chinese finger syllabary. Sample illustrations are given for both, as well as for the Pinyin finger alphabet. (PJM)

This article promotes the utilization of Sign Language of the Deaf as a primary and secondary research language. The article discusses English as the traditional research language, the role of sign language in bilingualism, possible uses for American Sign Language (ASL) as a research language, and the availability of ASL-based literature for…

To test three hypotheses concerning fingerspelling's contribution to word recognition, 24 deaf children in three age groups (7-9, 10-12, and 13-15 years) were administered a vocabulary recognition test and a lexical decision task. Subjects' performance was measured by the number of words accurately identified and the response latency. Results did…

The three major sign language systems (American Sign Language, Pidgin Sign English, and Manual English) are compared in table form. A brief description of each language highlights salient points that parents of deaf children need to understand. (DB)

The article describes a 6-week course (10 classroom hours) to teach community emergency personnel basic sign language skills. An outline of each session's activities is provided. (DB)

A Florida elementary school mainstreaming 30 children with deafness and hearing impairments has developed a collection of signed videotapes for teachers, parents, and students to borrow. Videotapes include signed story books, tapes for teaching sign language, and tapes made by students. (DB)

The manual teaches SignFont, a written form of sign language. Following a brief introduction, the first of three major sections describes the SignFont alphabet, structured according to the parts of every sign that is written (handshape, action area, location, movement). The second section discusses in greater detail how the SignFont characters are…

Describes an art activity in which ninth-grade students developed a graphic language from the system of symbols used in sign language. Students learned to sign, practiced with deaf students, and experimented with mirroring hand movements graphically. The exercise increased student awareness of rhythm and visual cues in nonverbal communication. (AM)

Describes ways one teacher of deaf and hard of hearing elementary students used videotape recordings to communicate with parents on classroom activities and on the progress of individual children. Tapes show the teacher introducing new signs; teaching speech skills, academic activities, and inclusion activities; or speaking directly to parents…

The study compared comprehension of American Sign Language (ASL) between 12 deaf subjects in a program using Signing Exact English (SEE-2) and 14 deaf subjects in a residential program using Signed English, Pidgin Signed English, and ASL. Students exposed to SEE-2 could comprehend ASL as well as residential school peers. (Author/DB)

Communication strategies essential to make lesson content clear and visible when using sign language with deaf students are described. The strategies include getting students' attention, not overloading students with confusing visual stimuli, allowing students time to absorb visual information thoroughly, and carefully differentiating between…

Guidelines are offered to schools and communities for developing activities of a yearly Deaf Awareness Week. Topics covered should include general information about deafness; common myths and misunderstandings; information about sign languages; technologies available to deaf people; interpreting; and interaction among deaf and hearing students.…

The teacher of a preschool class for deaf and hearing impaired children describes a project that used videotape recordings to increase parental involvement. Videotapes containing the sign vocabulary of upcoming teaching units as well as videoclips of various portions of the children's day in school were produced in the classroom and sent home to…