Cerebral laterality was examined for third, fourth, and fifth grade deaf (N=30) and hearing (N=30) Ss. The experimental task involved the processing of word and picture stimuli presented singly to the right and left visual hemifields. The analyses indicated that deaf children were faster than the hearing children in overall processing efficiency,…

Assessment of severely multiply handicapped children was completed via formal and informal assessment with data covering medical, ophthalmological, auditory, and educational aspects. Visual functioning was evaluated by considering the type of visual stimulus experienced, varying visual tasks, and student motivation and ability. Auditory evaluation…

Three groups of college students were exposed to a 22 minute interview with a cerebral palsied person, in either an audio, video, or transcript format. An expectancy questionnaire covering such aspects as academic and vocational achievements, communication with the public, ability to handle put downs, and effectiveness of sexual expression was…

This paper is a report on a decade of teaching visual literacy at the American University (Washington, D.C.). Visual literacy is defined as an awareness that comes with appropriate development of basic visual and aural competencies. The 15 reasons for studying visual literacy are perception, drawing, expression, brain awareness, design elements,…

The manual describes a procedure to assess to what extent a deaf-blind multiply handicapped student uses his residual hearing in the classroom. Six levels of auditory functioning (awareness/reflexive, attention/alerting, localization, auditory discrimination, recognition, and comprehension) are analyzed, and assessment activities are detailed for…

The audio-lingual method of foreign language instruction predominant in the United States emphasizes the lingual at the expense of the aural. Language acquisition is viewed as verbal behavior. Instead of a response-oriented learning approach, a stimulus-oriented one should be used, with listening as the focal skill from which speaking would…

The authors summarize results of their own and others' research of auditory language processing deficits associated with learning disabilities in children and adolescents. Among findings reported are that learning disabled children exhibit delays in the acquisition of morphological and syntactic rules, delays in logical growth, short-term memory…

The PLATO Elementary Reading Curriculum (PERC) requires the use of two interactive PLATO terminals in each classroom, and each unit uses a random access audio device which is connected directly to the terminal. Messages from the command unit can direct the audio unit to deliver verbal instructions to the student user at the terminal. The PERC…

The art of listening is no longer neglected, as may be seen by the materials (recreational and educational), articles, and book chapters which have come forth in the last five years. However, in order to improve communication among people, listening should be taught and teachers should integrate listening skill development into classroom…

Scholars and consultants have offered a multitude of definitions of listening. One group defines listening as an ongoing, nonstatic process by which spoken language is converted into meanings in the mind. The other group, the sequentialists, view listening as a linear sequence of events in which one aspect is dependent upon a preceding aspect.…

A clinical psychologist describes an approach she uses to assess learning disabled students. She explains that brain function is analyzed through a sequence of tasks charting visual and auditory discrimination, perception, memory, organization, integration, and output. An example is cited in which an 11 year old child with traumatic brain injury…

The techniques for effective listening can be identified by the acronym PAT, which stands for three sets of techniques--physical, attitude, and thinking. Four kinds of physical techniques promote effective listening: appropriate eye contact and normal blinking rate, facial feedback, appropriate body language, and appropriate verbal feedback. Two…

The high school version of the Watson-Barker Listening Test was developed in response to the need for a listening test appropriate for high school students. The test was comprised of conversations that would normally occur in either the high school setting or in the home and was developed in two different versions. The test consists of five…

A teacher of hearing impaired students describes an approach to oral composition in which a student's sign language telling of a story was videotaped and then students were asked to write a draft on their topic. Results demonstrated the need to focus on coherence through the use of transitions. She suggests that benefits of the video-oral drafting…

This study focuses on the effects of map display and modality on learning geographical maps in a computer-based environment. Participants were randomly assigned to four versions of a computer program created by crossing two levels of map display (hypertext vs. rollover) with two levels of modality (audio vs. audio and text). Results showed that…