"An Open Letter to My Colleagues", a satirical treatment of a serious problem, primarily written for superintendents of public day school classes, cautions against programing for deaf children on an emotional rather than an educational basis. (Author)

Two studies were designed to examine the effect of school placement (specifically, mainstreamed versus self-contained classrooms) on the social development of hearing-impaired high school youth. In the first study, 85 hearing-impaired high school students (some in self-contained classrooms, and others mainstreamed) were assessed on measures of…

Analysis of social skill self-ratings by 74 adolescents with hearing impairments enrolled in either public or residential schools found that public school students rated their social skills higher than did residential students. Findings are discussed in terms of previous studies, influential variables, and implications for social development and…