The use of technological devices has proven to be effective and efficient for the delivery of videos aimed at promoting daily living skills (DLS) among individuals with autism spectrum disorder. As technology advances, devices have become more portable and, ultimately, accessible to caregivers. There are relatively few studies that have examined…

It has been stated that a criterion of a threshold concept is that it is troublesome or difficult to understand. However, not all difficult concepts are also threshold concepts. This article explores this difference through the context of students' difficulties in learning prosthetics and two models of describing threshold concepts. Students and…

Radical advancements in hearing technology in the last 30 years have offered some deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children the adequate auditory access necessary to acquire spoken language with high-quality early intervention. However, meaningful achievement gaps in reading and spoken language persist despite the engineering marvel of modern…

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is one of the most common sensory impairments, and has a serious impact on the quality of life (QOL) of affected individuals. The QOL and coping strategies of elderly people in Poland experiencing subjectively assessed hearing problems (SAHP) were analyzed. The method made use of the World Health Organization…

Purpose: The study was designed primarily to determine if the use of hearing aids (HAs) in individuals with hearing impairment in China would affect their speechreading performance. Method: Sixty-seven young adults with hearing impairment with HAs and 78 young adults with hearing impairment without HAs completed newly developed Chinese…

The field of special education has come a long way with regard to providing services for young children with disabilities; but, more investigative research is needed. From the very beginning, young children with disabilities were not served in our public schools. This created turmoil for families and parents, and advocacy groups then got involved…

While response time and accuracy indicate overall performance, their value in uncovering cognitive processes, underlying learning, is limited. A promising online measure, designed to track decision-making, is computer mouse tracking, where mouse attraction towards different locations may reflect the consideration of alternative response options.…

The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' attitudes towards the use of case study method. The study design was action research to investigate the effectiveness of utilizing the case study method. The sample for this study included fourteen master's students enrolled in educational technology in special education course. The…

Purpose: Phonological complexity is known to be a good index of developmental language disorder (DLD) in normal-hearing children, who have major difficulties on some complex structures. Some deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs) present a profile that evokes DLD, with persistent linguistic difficulties despite good audiological and…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how special education teachers and practitioners implement assistive technologies in the general education elementary classroom to improve the writing skills of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge (TPACK) and Vygotsky's social…

In this article, state of the art on virtual reality (VR) for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a focus on training/targeted intervention is discussed and reflected upon to explore areas for more future benefits. We present advantages of VR for individuals with ASD. We identify challenges and design issues for future training…

Identity construction and how an individual chooses to navigate or display his or her identity play an important role in how that person communicates and interacts with others. One group for whom identity construction and navigation is a difficult process is the hard of hearing population. In the present study, Communication Theory of Identity…

Purpose: It is well established that (a) infants prefer listening to infant-directed speech (IDS) over adult-directed speech (ADS), and (b) IDS facilitates speech, language, and cognitive development, compared with ADS. The main purpose of this study was to determine whether infants with hearing aids (HAs), similar to their peers with normal…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which semantic context and F[subscript 0] contours affect speech recognition by Mandarin-speaking, kindergarten-aged children with cochlear implants (CIs). Method: The experimental design manipulated two factors, that is, semantic context, by comparing the intelligibility of…

This article presents a phenomenological investigation into speech-generating device (SGD) use in the school context. Derived from a larger study on the experience of speaking through a SGD, this article focuses particularly on the experience of time and timing of speaking for one who must use a SGD to give audible voice to their words. Themes…