This article presents the results of a microanalysis of sequences when two or more deaf signers overlap. This contribution focuses on "cooperative overlap" - which consists of extended moments of turn-exchanges that move along the unfolding discourse while cohering interlocutors in relation to each other. This aspect of signed…

This paper discusses historical and contemporary issues regarding communication approaches for educating Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children in Ghana. Discussion of the communication approaches took into account a brief historical background to the development of formal education for DHH children in the country, academic achievement of DHH…

Purpose: The present study sought to explore styles of inclusive communication with deaf people in mainstream schools by answering the following research questions: (1) What styles of communication with deaf students may enhance inclusive education?; (2) What makes these styles effective?; and (3) How may these styles be applied? Method: This…

Communication is an innate behavior people engage in to convey one's thoughts, needs, and interests to others (Knapp, Hall, & Horgan, 2014). Recommended Practices from the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC, 2014) encourage teachers to partner with families to implement strategies that support…

The effects of deafblindness are much greater than simply combining the effects of the individual's vision loss with the effects of their hearing loss, because these senses strongly support one another (Silberman, Bruce, & Nelson, 2004). Even though most individuals have some residual vision and hearing, deafblindness limits access to the…

A majority of parents who have a child who is deaf are hearing and usually have had no experience with deafness. The impact on the parents can unequivocally alter their lives. The professional advice given to the parent regarding their child is often accepted as irrefutable fact, and can lead to the emotional, social, linguistic, and educational…

The study analyzed the dyadic conversational speech of two hearing-impaired twin boys trained in simultaneous communication. Results indicated the adolescents used an integrated bimodal form of English with a grammatical base that did not vary as a function of the presence or absence of simultaneous signs. (Author/DB)

This paper considers theory and research on identity development in deaf children and concludes that the exclusively oral method of instruction is not conducive to healthy identity development. The importance of interpersonal communication in identity development from the viewpoints of both sociological and psychoanalytical theories of identity is…

A study involving 13 teachers of students with deafness and 16 students with deafness found that although Natural Sign Language was not considered an official communication mode, it was used after class, and that there was a positive relationship between teachers' sign-language skills and students' understanding of their message. (CR)

This paper reports the results from a minitrial in Sweden of the use of still-picture telephones by people with moderate mental retardation. The two participants used total communication, mixing spoken language, Pictogram symbols, and sign language. Improved communicative skills were found, though heavy staff training and involvement were…

This digest uses a question-and-answer format to address issues that parents should consider when thinking about the total communication (TC) approach for a child who is deaf or hard of hearing. Total communication is explained as the use of any/all modes of communication (manual, oral, auditory, and written) depending on the needs of the child.…

Sixty preschool children (30 deaf and hard of hearing, 30 hearing) were observed in their integrated school during learning center activities and outdoor play. Half experienced auditory communication and half total communication modes. Although all children preferred to play and communicate with same-hearing status children, 63% did communicate…

This study of 53 deaf adolescents at a residential school and their parents found that parents who used total communication had children whose self-esteem scores were higher than those of children whose parents used an oral-only method of communication. A positive relationship was also found between student self-esteem and reading level.…

This monograph supplement to "The Journal of the Academy of Rehabilitative Audiology" contains eight papers on issues and strategies for communication assessment of hearing-impaired children, not only in the area of interpersonal communication, but in classroom and print discourse as well. Titles and authors of the papers are as follows:…

Conversational control was compared between hearing mothers using auditory-oral communication (A/O) and those using total communication (TC) with 34 deaf preschool children. Among A/O children, maternal style reflected children's spoken language ability, whereas among TC children, maternal style related to children's social development, and…