Factor and cluster analysis of the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities scores of 237 children (6 to 8 years old) with severe language handicaps showed a clear auditory-vocal and visual-motor factor. Ninety-seven percent of the Ss had the lowest scores on auditory association and grammatic closure subtests. (Author/CL)

The purpose of this study was to compare listener processing demands when decoding alaryngeal compared to laryngeal speech. Fifty-six listeners were presented with single words produced by 1 proficient speaker from 5 different modes of speech: normal, tracheosophageal (TE), esophageal (ES), electrolaryngeal (EL), and synthetic speech (SS).…

Meant to be attention-getters, the activities work on two principles: that children need an immediate and personal purpose in order to pay attention; and that listening should be an involving activity, that is, a child needs to listen in order to do something with what is heard. (Author/NQ)

Results of three studies involving Down syndrome students suggested that the auditory-visual recall difference evidenced by nonretarded but not by retarded Ss may have been due to the differential use of information in echoic memory. (Author)

Among conclusions presented by a review of research on modality preference as a method for differentiating beginning reading instruction are that differentiating instruction according to modality preference apparently did not facilitate learning to read. (Author)

Performance of mildly mentally retarded and nonretarded persons was compared in two experiments designed to identify processes of auditory sensory memory. A theoretical model was proposed to incorporate the current pattern of results. (Author)

Discusses the pros and cons of phonics for spelling. (MP)