ERIC Number: EJ1319769
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jan
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1081-4159
EISSN: N/A
Syntactic Strategy Training for Theory of Mind in Deaf Children
Durrleman, Stephanie; Dumont, Annie; Delage, Hélène
Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, v27 n1 p89-100 Jan 2022
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) show delays in Theory of Mind (ToM) development. Complement sentences such as "Eliane says that Santa Clause exists" influence ToM performance. Can a training program targeting sentential complements enhance ToM? Twenty-one French-speaking DHH children (M[subscript age] = 8 years 11 months) with delays in ToM and sentential complements completed a first series of tests (T0). Children were tested again to control for maturation effects (T1), after which they were included in a 6- to 8-week training program targeting complements with verbs of communication. Post-training tests (T2) assessed if the training yielded improvements on complements (direct effect) and ToM (transfer effect). While no gains were noted in the absence of training (at T1), results indicate post-training (T2) improvements in complements and ToM tasks, suggesting that the acquisition of sentential complements provides a tool to represent subjective truths and boosts ToM reasoning in DDH children.
Descriptors: Syntax, Theory of Mind, Deafness, Transfer of Training, Cognitive Development, French, Hearing Impairments, Language Tests, Comparative Analysis, Teaching Methods, Verbs, Outcomes of Education, Children, Language Acquisition, Learning Strategies
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://jdsde.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A