Four critical responses to an article, "The Role of Phonology and Phonologically Related Skills in Reading Instruction for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing" (Wang, Trezek, Luckner, & Paul, 2008), are presented. Issue is taken with the conclusions of the article by Wang and colleagues regarding the "necessary" condition of phonological…

The paper describes the potential of cued speech to provide verbal language and intelligible speech to severely hearing impaired students. The approach, which combines auditory-visual-oral and manual cues, is designed as a visual supplement to normal speech. The paper traces the development of cued speech and discusses modifications made to the R.…

This paper stresses the concept of deaf students as visual learners. Educators are urged to think visually in order to help maximize opportunities for deaf students to use their visual learning skills in developing literacy skills, and in their general academic, social, and personal development. Examples are offered of structural/grammatical…

It is proposed that visual literacy be defined as the ability to understand (read) and use (write) images and to think and learn in terms of images. This definition includes three basic principles: (1) visuals are a language and thus analogous to verbal language; (2) a visually literate person should be able to understand (read) images and use…

Examines current spelling research from the perspective of one individual kindergarten student's creativity with sounds and writing. Stresses the importance of encouraging young children to explore written language in their own way. (RWB)

Presents an interpretation of the history of the development of visual and verbal language, and argues for the place of electronic technologies of visual and oral languages in the language arts curriculum. (DF)

This paper examines the cognitive-linguistic development of young deaf children and some associated theories. The premise that linguistic processing begins initially and most effectively through visual linguistic processing within the context of the social environment is stressed. Social learning theories which emphasize the importance of the…

Discusses the role of computers with young children and suggests that effective use should be based on an understanding of how children learn. Topics discussed include curriculum goals; criteria to consider when buying computers; teacher training; software selection; environmental considerations; and criteria for integrating computers into early…

Summarizes and updates original study done on reading and writing development of a preschool child. (SRT)

This paper compares the visual and auditory perceptual systems as bases for communication systems, reviews advances in computer technology, and considers implications for literacy among persons with hearing impairments. It is pointed out that the primary language skills of hearing individuals are developed through speech and language (auditory…