Signs selected from lists used in studies with mentally retarded and autistic children and previously rated for visual iconicity were presented tactilely to 13 blind adults and adolescents. Visual and tactile ratings were found to be very similar across blind, deaf, and hearing-sighted adults and hearing-sighted children. (Author/CL)

Twenty-four severely mentally retarded adolescents (with no uncorrected visual or hearing losses) were trained to use 16 manually signed English signs. Ss were randomly assiged to sign only, or sign plus speech conditions and performances were videotaped. Analysis of results revealed that all Ss learned some signs to criterion and all showed…

Effects of high and low levels of manual sign translucency and referential concreteness on the manual sign learning of 40 moderately/severely mentally retarded adolescents were investigated. High levels of translucency were a significant facilitator while low levels inhibited learning. Concreteness did not significantly affect sign learning.…

Presents study designed to determine whether interruption in the use of the manual encoding modality would retard learning in prelingually deaf subjects. One group of students used finger spelling and finger numeration in learning eight pairs of number-word combinations while the other group used no manual encoding. Results show groups using…

Reviews research on "homesign" systems, i.e., the gestural communication of deaf individuals who do not learn a spoken language and who are not exposed to a signed language. The article touches on how iconicity affects language structure and use, the role of input in language development, and the nature of the critical period for…

This study investigated the ability of two groups of profoundly deaf students (N=40 and ages 8, 11, 14, and 17), using either oral or signed communication, to employ pragmatic skills required for effective face-to-face interactions. Notable differences in pragmatic skills were found between the groups and between deaf and normal hearing students.…

Examines the effect that hearing parents' communication methods have on the self-esteem of their deaf children. Results indicate that adolescents whose parents used total communication (speech, finger spelling, and sign language) had higher self-esteem scores than adolescents whose parents used speech only. Makes recommendations for school social…

The comprehension of 30 severely and profoundly deaf students (ages 10 to 17) was evaluated under 11 communication conditions involving individual and combined presentations of lipreading, listening, fingerspelling, and signed English. Severely deaf students scored higher than profoundly deaf students under all but one condition, and all students…

Verbal prompts, modeling, physical guidance, positive reinforcement, fading, and chaining procedures were used to teach two nonverbal individuals (one severely and one moderately mentally retarded) an interactive signing dialogue in a naturalistic setting. Although clients learned to use signed communication, extensive training was required and…

THE ILLINOIS COMMUNICATION SCALE WAS DEVELOPED ON 16 MM COLOR FILM TO ASSESS THE RECEPTIVE COMMUNICATION ABILITIES OF DEAF CHILDREN BETWEEN 6 AND 14 YEARS. FORMS WERE CONSTRUCTED TO MEASURE (1) AUDITORY RECEPTION, (2) LIPREADING AND LISTENING, (3) LIPREADING ONLY, (4) FINGERSPELLING, AND (5) LANGUAGE OF SIGNS. EACH FORM HAD 5 SUBPARTS (1)…