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…

Teachers should familiarize themselves with the practical advantages of single-subject methodology in attempting to meet the various learning needs of hearing-impaired students. Two examples are provided to illustrate how these designs can act as tools for deciding which of several teaching methods are most beneficial to particular students.…

This article discusses the importance of fostering the development of a "first language" as demonstrated by each hearing impaired student. Nine factors are presented for consideration by educators working with children who do not have a strong first language base on which to build second language (i.e., English) skills. (Author/CB)

Four basic models used to classify bilingual programs for hearing students are explained briefly, and advantages and disadvantages for use of the models with hearing-impaired minority-language-speaking students are provided. (Author)

Research is reviewed on bilingual education and its application to the education of hearing-impaired students. Assessment procedures for obtaining valid samples of language behavior, distinguishing between competence and performance, and considering language variation are emphasized. (CL)

This paper describes Seeing Essential English (SEE), which is a manual code of English designed to specifically reflect English, and signed in English word order. The paper attempts to clear up misconceptions concerning SEE and confusion between SEE and Signing Exact English, provide some historical background about its development, and review…

A review of the research literature on teaching deaf or hard-of-hearing students to read led to identification of 10 recommended practices for adults reading to these children. Practices include: focusing on the purpose and enjoyment of reading, using the child's dominant language in interactive dialogue, relating the child's life to the text, and…

This paper stresses the importance of developing phonological awareness to foster reading skills in hearing and deaf learners. It reviews the research on stages in acquisition of phonological awareness and phonological awareness and deafness. Suggestions for phonological assessment of deaf students include use of formal and informal phonological…

The study compared comprehension of American Sign Language (ASL) between 12 deaf subjects in a program using Signing Exact English (SEE-2) and 14 deaf subjects in a residential program using Signed English, Pidgin Signed English, and ASL. Students exposed to SEE-2 could comprehend ASL as well as residential school peers. (Author/DB)

Strategies to facilitate the language development of children with deafness or hearing impairments are presented, including capitalizing on the linguistic opportunities provided in particular environments; rearranging environments; responding to indications that children have comprehended messages and are open to risk communication; and…

A survey of 25 Kansas school districts and cooperatives serving deaf students, concerning the 1986 standards developed by the Conference of Educational Administrators Serving the Deaf (CEASD), identified the standards receiving the most support and the least support, as well as those standards showing the greatest disparity between support level…

Tools and approaches to promote the development of social skills among students who are deaf are presented. Social skills assessment inventories are described, and six commercially available curricula are identified. Examples of goals and objectives are provided, as well as suggestions to facilitate social integration of deaf and hearing students.…

A study examined whether text structures were included in the "oral" videotaped retellings of a second grader with deafness across 28 texts. Improvements in the child's ability to include specific elements of text structures were documented over nine months. A 12-month increase in reading ability and narrative ability was also documented.…

Discusses programmatic and curricular modifications often needed for students included in public school settings who are deaf or hard of hearing, such as adapting the mode/flow of classroom communication, linguistic-level changes, and adapting the listening and physical environment. Possible curricular modifications are suggested for…

This study evaluated a method of adult mediation with a deaf second grader which involved identification of language needs through transcription and analysis of the child's retellings of weekly basal stories, followed by targeted adult-mediated conversations. Evaluation indicated the student's performance on targeted semantic and syntactic…