School curricula in the United States tend to focus on students' visual sense, making the teaching and learning of aural art a unique and challenging endeavor. In this philosophical inquiry with practical applications, I propose that the music curriculum be reevaluated with an ear toward the quality of sounds students hear daily as a foundation…

This paper reviews two models for auditory compensation attending visual loss--structural and strategic. The paper concludes that it is not clear to what extent differences in auditory processing represent variations in underlying capacity, the development of strategies, attentional activation, or multiple factors. Previous dismissals of…

This article discusses issues related to auditory integration training (AIT), a developing treatment for children with auditory disorders. It presents preliminary data indicating that word recognition scores in the presence of competing noise improves for children with a variety of disorders who have been treated with AIT. (Author/DB)

Hearing-impaired children need not be excluded from the music classroom. Even the severely hearing-impaired child can receive sensory satisfaction and valuable auditory training from experiences with music. How music can enrich the lives of the hearing-impaired is discussed. (RM)

Presents a study that investigated the significance of the octave-equivalence assumption, an essential assumption to the notion of "pitch class" and the analysis and pedagogy of all music in the Western tradition. Discusses development and organization of experimental items and describes the method of presentation. (GEA)

The author discusses the importance of improvisation, suggesting that improvisation be introduced in the earliest stages of education and be taught through an approach that integrates ear training, sight-reading, instrumental and vocal techniques and theory into a unified and complete understanding of music as a language. (Author/KC)

Continuous discourse tracking, when used as a test of the effectiveness of aural rehabilitation strategies, has numerous uncontrolled variables related to the sender, the receiver, the text materials, and repeated presentations. Tracking is inappropriate for across-subject designs, and acceptable for within-subject test designs only when stringent…

This article critiques the theoretical basis of the Fast ForWord program, a computer-assisted language intervention program for children with language-learning impairments. It notes undocumented treatment outcomes and questions the clinical methods associated with the procedures. Fifteen cautionary statements are provided that clinicians may want…

This paper discusses five language roots of reading: phonology, syntax, semantics, short-term and long-term memory, and auditory segmenting. Teachers are urged to focus early school experiences toward development of these five skills to reduce the incidence of reading difficulties. Specific teaching suggestions are offered. (Author/DB)

Written by the mother of a child with autism, this article discusses the journey from a diagnosis of autism at age 3 through the many therapies to upper grade school, where the child is doing so well that they have considered dropping the diagnosis. The miracles and hard work are discussed. (CR)

Describes an unsuccessful attempt at teaching a well-motivated adult non-reader to read. Details different approaches that were tried, such as the sight method, auditory methods, tactile methods. Suggests ways to avoid reading failure in adults, such as checking for disabilities, and getting to know the student. (SKC)

Gives an overview of the present school system in Japan, focusing on early intervention for hearing impairments, auditory compensation devices, and instruction in auditory training. Suggests that recent developments in hearing aid technology have resulted in substantial improvements in the identification and rehabilitation of hearing-impaired…

Presents an overview of hearing aid fitting procedures and auditory rehabilitation for hearing-impaired children in Japan. Reviews issues of audiological management in Japanese schools and discusses two kinds of simplified auditory tests. Finally, highlights several controversial issues surrounding different perspectives and methods of education…