Notes that sign language is the third most used second language in the United States and that early childhood is an ideal language-learning time. Describes the experiences of one preschool where American Sign Language has become an integral part of the curriculum. Includes guiding principles, classroom do's and don'ts, and a resource list of…

Argues that bilingual (American Sign Language/English) education programs for all children with deafness, regardless of the severity of their hearing loss, may be ineffective in promoting English language literacy and access to the academic curriculum. (12 references) (MDM)

Twelve effective strategies commonly used by deaf adults when reading to deaf children are discussed. Techniques for combining American Sign Language and English exposure are presented, as are story-telling strategies for maintaining attention, using role play, using eye gaze to elicit participation, and relating stories to real world concepts.…

Reports on a four-month study of deaf education programs conducted in Sweden and Denmark in March of 1990, and discusses three aspects of language learning involving deaf children's learning sign language as a first language, Swedish as a second language, and hearing parents' and teachers' learning of Swedish Sign Language. (14 references)

A four-week training program for hearing mothers of two deaf children (age five) utilized instructional videotapes using spoken and signed (Pidgin Signed English) simulated natural conversations to improve their sign communication skills. The mothers increased their use of signs by 55 percent and 44 percent, respectively, as a result of the…

Study examined trends in the signing skills of parents of deaf children. Of 50 deaf individuals, 73 percent of deaf children (ages 4-18) reported their parents knew some sign language, whereas older individuals (ages 41-76) reported only 22 percent of their parents knew some sign language. Younger offspring rated their parents' signing skills…

This study found that, on average, signed messages sent by teachers and students in a school for the deaf were seen less than half the time by the deaf students; students frequently engaged in collateral conversations. Intervention strategies call for changes in teaching techniques, classroom layout, and the use of computer-communication…

This review of research on language development of hearing children of deaf parents identified three areas of focus: (1) oral language development; (2) sign language development; and (3) mode of communication--oral and/or manual. Areas of future study are suggested. (Author/DB)

A study involving six bilingually educated children (ages 5-6) with deafness found overall level of involvement was high on three educational tasks and was influenced by type of task, teacher, and language of instruction. Involvement was greater during activities led by the teacher with deafness using Sign Language of the Netherlands. (Contains…

The study examined deaf clients' perceptions of counseling expertise as a function of several counseling variables: counselor's signing skill, gender, and therapy type. Twenty undergraduate students at a special college for the deaf who were enrolled in either counseling courses or psychology courses viewed 4 video clips reflecting a mock…

Background: In the context of the established finding that theory-of-mind (ToM) growth is seriously delayed in late-signing deaf children, and some evidence of equivalent delays in those learning speech with conventional hearing aids, this study's novel contribution was to explore ToM development in deaf children with cochlear implants. Implants…

In American Sign Language (ASL), a receiver watches the signer and receives language visually. In contrast, when using tactile ASL, a variety of ASL, the deaf-blind receiver receives language by placing a hand on top of the signer's hand. In the study described in this article we compared the functions and frequency of the signs YES and #NO in…

This study identifies and evaluates the pathways available from school to vocational education and training and to work, for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Research involved interviews with seven young people from Victoria who had either just completed secondary school and were enrolling in a VET course, or had completed a course and…

This study provides a complete review of discussion and development leading up to the current trends in Deaf Studies curriculum development, and also analyzes existing known curriculum (or curriculum-like) materials to help inform development of an ideal standards-based Deaf Studies curriculum. The common shared arguments identified in this…

Learning to read and write is a challenge for most deaf children due to their limited experiences with, and access to, spoken language. In the case of deaf students who have difficulty processing visual print, literacy becomes an even greater challenge. The study piloted an intervention procedure that incorporated the principles of automaticity,…