Deaf children and hearing mothers using oral only communication spent significantly less time engaged in interaction than did mothers and children in the two groups using sign language or the hearing group. The major finding affirms the similarities between the deaf mother/deaf child pairs and the hearing mother/hearing child pairs. (Author)

Examines the differential mode usage (speech, vocalize, gesture and sign) of profoundly deaf preschoolers and their hearing mothers as a function of their level of communicative competence and method of communication. Relates simultaneous use of modes to higher communicative competence and specific pragmatic types of communication. (Author/MES)

Discussed are communication techniques for the deaf and hard-of-hearing science students. Instructional resources and materials available to aid the science teacher for communicating with these handicapped students are also included. Communication techniques listed include interpreters, notetakers, and tutors. Sign language and simultaneous…

Discusses the potential of sign language as a tool in teaching reading to normal hearing children and the success of this method with individuals who have various communication disorders. (EJS)

Examines the influence of sign language structures on the spontaneous use of time and space markers in French and French Sign Language. The study compared the use of nonspatialized utterances and spatialized structures of deaf and hearing children, adolescents, and adults. Findings shed light on the different types of errors in understanding. (17…

Applies principles of whole-language instruction to the teaching of sign language skills. Emphasis is on the holistic use of sign language in natural communicative situations. Some materials for this approach to sign language instruction are suggested. (DB)

Highlights a music program for students with deafness that allows them to explore music in ways that are hands-on and visual. The formation of a sign choir that integrated students with deafness and hearing students is also described as well as an interactive deaf/hearing drama group. (CR)

The Deaf Way Conference at Gallaudet University (Washington, DC) gathered over 5,000 people from 81 nations to discuss the future of deaf people worldwide. This article offers brief summaries of conditions in Pakistan, Thailand, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Peru, Venezuela, and Denmark. National history, demographics, special education, and sign language…

Deaf culture is defined, and hearing parents of deaf children are encouraged to learn about deaf culture, by making contact with deaf people, learning sign language, and learning about deaf folklore and history. A resource list on deaf folklore and sign language includes books, articles, periodicals, and national organizations. (JDD)

The study examined the effectiveness of using sign language (Signing Exact English) to facilitate reading in students classified as trainable mentally handicapped. Results indicated that subjects learning to read words with an accompanying sign identified and retained significantly more vocabulary than did students learning to read in a…

Multilevel analyses compared performances of 12 deaf Jamaican adolescents (ages 15 and 16) and 12 hearing adolescents (ages 13 and 14) on writing, reading, and (for deaf subjects) sign language tasks. The deaf adolescents' ability to express complex ideas in sign language supported the need for use of a bilingual approach to the teaching of…

This study with 14 prelingually deaf adults seeking counseling found that the use of "lay" counselors using sign language was effective; these deaf individuals varied greatly in their problems, needs, and potentials; these adults accepted their deafness; and all had some positive resources in either their emotional network (family) or social…

This paper describes a combination of cued speech and signs called Complete Signed and Cued French, which is designed to enable deaf children to progress simultaneously in signed and spoken language, respect each child's learning rhythm, and develop expressive skills in conjunction with comprehension abilities. (Author/JDD)

Acquisition of passive and active vocabulary in sign and oral language was analyzed in 2 children congenitally deaf, through age 54 months. Acquisition of sign occurred more quickly than oral language. Production of active nouns, function words, and "wh" question words in sign was equivalent to that of hearing peers, and was later transferred to…