For hearing parents, receiving a hearing loss diagnosis for their child can be a shocking event. For some parents, the diagnosis is the fulfillment of a hunch; confirmation of the suspected, but still scary verdict. Recent research finds that the period directly after hearing loss diagnosis is the most stressful and burdensome for parents,…

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…

A survey of 60 United States schools and programs currently using Cued Speech with hearing-impaired individuals found that the tool is used in both oral and total communication environments. The survey collected data on demographics, types of programs, number of students using Cued Speech, methodologies employed, and support services offered.…

Principles of using Cued Speech with deaf children are discussed. Review of the literature suggests that Cued Speech has been unjustly criticized. Cued speech should be seen not as a method of communication, but rather as an intervention tool with application for both aural-oral and Total Communication programs. (Author/DB)

A review of problems with using such manual communication systems as cued speech, fingerspelling, Signed or Manual English, American Sign Language, and Pidgin Sign provides a rationale for using a combination of American Sign Language and Pidgin Sign and a few markers from Signed English for a Total Communication system. (CB)

Conservation and metaphor acquisition were studied in 35 hearing-impaired children (ages 6-19) using either cued speech or oral-aural communication. Significant positive relationships were found between conservation and metaphor in both communication modes, age and metaphor, and age and conservation. Neither conservation nor metaphor was related…