The gap between oral and manual production of the 159 profoundly deaf children in total communication programs indicated that spoken English did not develop simultaneously with manually coded English and that Ss educated in programs using manually coded English did not develop competence with early developing English syntax faster than those not…

The paper describes an organizational framework for assessing pragmatic abilities in children. The framework addresses the areas of communicative intention, presupposition, and the social organization of discourse. For each area, assessment parameters are presented in coordination with a review of pertinent literature. (Author/CL)

Physical education class can offer language enrichment opportunities to hearing impaired children through such experiences as obstacle courses, guided movement, and tasks involving human alphabet and number forms. (CL)

Fourteen deaf elementary children (eight from total communication and six from oral classes) and seven non-hearing-impaired peers were given tasks designed to elicit spontaneous language. Results favored hearing children on all measures. When comparing the two deaf groups, few differences emerged in measures of verbal output and communicativeness.…

Research at the University of Pittsburgh will concentrate on developing assessment instruments and accompanying instructional strategies (including behavior modification training for parents) for autisiclike preschool children and their families. (Author/CL)

The article reviews normal developmental patterns for naming and discusses research comparing children with normal language and those with language disorders. Implications for assessment and intervention approaches for children with word finding difficulties are noted. (CL)

Two elementary hearing impaired students showed their ability to demonstrate which of several languages and/or systems was the most beneficial to them as an instructional communication tool. Findings had implications for teachers wishing to match language of instruction to the child's language preferences. (Author/CL)

This article explores the kinds of cues young children use as a basis for extending early works in an effort to label novel referent objects. Proposals that intend to explain how first words are extended and used to refer to objects or events for which no words explicitly exist are discussed. (DF)

Four moderately retarded children (11-13 years old) were taught to pluralize words by adding S. Data suggested that facilitation occurred although the sequence in which comprehension and production were taught did not affect facilitation. (Author/CL)

The article focuses on the nature of language problems in learning disabled children, including a study of sensory acuity, intelligence, and experience. All symbol systems including oral language, reading, and written language are evaluated to study interrelationships between areas. Nonverbal processes as well as verbal functions are assessed to…

A teaching unit is described which combines visual stimuli with language to teach hearing impaired students the concepts underlying idioms. Slides and posters portray the literal meaning while students are asked to discuss their figurative meaning. (CL)

Encourages teachers to evaluate the appropriateness of language activities in the light of the language competencies children possess. (DD)

This article is taken from a pamphlet put out by a group of English teachers at Clissold Park Comprehensive, London, who wanted to raise some controversial questions about reading and language development with other teachers in their school. (Editor)