Spanish-speaking families (N=58) of deaf children participated in a two-year televised trilingual (Spanish, English, and Sign Language) class through the project "A Mass Media Approach to Sign Language Instruction for Spanish-Speaking Parents of Deaf Children." Evaluation revealed that over 85 percent demonstrated positive change in receptive and…

Analysis of diagnoses made and treatment recommended by school psychologists (N=100) for a case study (half identifying the student as deaf and half not identifying the student as handicapped) suggested the existence of "diagnostic overshadowing" (when a primary disability diagnosis alters diagnostic and treatment recommendations resulting from a…

A survey of vocational educators (N=190) of hearing-impaired students revealed that: 57 percent had had coursework in education of the hearing-impaired; 78 percent felt that they should belong to a national professional organization (52 percent did); and less than 33 percent had attended a national association convention over the last two years.…

Analysis of spontaneous storytelling samples of deaf 5- to 7-year-olds (N=15), all exposed to manually coded English for some time, differentially showed characteristics more consistent with either English or Sign Language in the language areas of explicit relations, mimed relations, incorporated relations, and English Functors. (CB)

Comparison of self-esteem ratings of deaf adolescents (N=56) by adolescents and both parents (56 hearing and 56 deaf parents) on the Self Description Questionnaire III showed that adolescents with deaf parents generally rated themselves higher than did adolescents with hearing parents of global, same sex, and opposite sex self-esteem. (CB)

A national sample of 414 juniors and seniors in high schools for hearing impaired students was surveyed with an Attitudes Toward Alcohol scale developed for this purpose and administered in sign language. Four factors (hedonism, concern with health, value structure, and addiction) were identified as contributing to negative attitudes toward…

The article reviews research on the effects of the three components of instructional time--allocated time, used time, and engaged time. Evidence that use of time is a powerful variable in student learning is applied to the instruction of hearing impaired students. (Author/DB)

The reliability and validity of using the drawings of the House-Tree-Person technique to assess the personality of prelingually deaf persons was evaluated with 33 deaf young adults. Interrater reliability was established for four scales and validity established for five personality traits (aggression, impulsivity, immaturity, egocentricity, and…

The article questions the increased use of highly structured instructional reading programs for hearing impaired students and suggests there is also a need for holistic approaches, such as the Adaptation of a Sustained Silent Reading approach to develop student skills and interests. (Author/DB)

The study evaluated the effects of using a language experience approach over a 3-month period with kindergarten and first grade hearing impaired students. The language experience approach encouraged growth in vocabulary, reading, and writing skills, as well as in self confidence and self esteem. (Author/DB)

Ten deaf-blind college students were interviewed to find out what they need and want from sign language interpreters. Findings were organized into four areas: (1) types of signing, (2) modifications to the signing, (3) visual information that needs to be conveyed, and (4) other factors influencing deaf-blind interpreting situations. (Author/DB)

The study evaluated characteristics of instructional bimodal communication in classrooms for the hearing impaired using Signing Exact English or Signed English. Findings indicated some teachers accurately and proficiently encoded semantic information in their instruction. A requirement of 80% or better voice-to-sign ratio ability is suggested for…

A survey of the parents (N=53) of hearing impaired children and professionals (N=37) revealed that the two groups agreed that communication and education constitute the most important topics in parent education programs. Some differences of opinion, particularly regarding the timing of delivery of some categories of information, were identified.…

A questionnaire survey assessing attitudes of 50 deaf adults toward sign language systems used in schools found the majority supported American Sign Language and Manually Coded English-Pidgin with some reservations. Respondents were also concerned about needs of individual deaf children and deaf adult involvement in educational decision making for…

The scope, nature, and incidence of sexual abuse of deaf children is addressed and the behavioral/emotional characteristics of sexually abused children and adolescents described. Prevention, intervention, and reporting are discussed and resources for assistance, consultation, or diagnostic/treatment services for suspected or identified victims of…