Stepha Locke, Submitted January 18, 2010, Assignment 1: Parent Handout
Communication and Educational Approaches To Teaching the Deaf and Hard of
Hearing: Parent Handout
Choosing a communication method for your child can feel like an overwhelming task. There are
many factors to consider when looking at what will work best for your child; keep in mind it also has to
be something that works for you and the rest of your family. Your child’s support system (most
importantly you!) will be key to your child’s success communicating and learning.
Early intervention has shown amazing results in children with hearing loss. However, no one
method is right for all children. Whatever method or methods you choose should begin right away, and
you need to be vigilant in language exposure! However, if you find that what you have chosen is not
working at sometime in the future, know that it is okay to change as long as you are making a decision
based on what is right for your child, and it is always a good idea to consult someone in the field, who
knows your child, when moving between communication methods. Be patient with progress, but
understand that you know your child best of all, and you know when a method is not working for him
or her!
Keep in mind that different programs and schools use different methods, and even methods
given the same title may not work exactly the same way. Researching what programs are available in
your area and even in other locations is useful, and going in to understand exactly how the program
works and how it will influence your child is always a good idea before making a final decision.
Language Instruction has been taught using structured approaches, natural approaches, and a
combination of the two; below is a short description of the approaches:
Structured Approach
Description:
-Stresses English grammar and language patterns, such as the Fitzgereld Key. Uses memorization and drills.
History:
As structured approaches mature, they are used with less rigidity by teachers and therefore often develop into
combined approaches (p16-17).
Natural Approach
Description:
-Stresses the belief that language should be taught through incidental occurrences, especially to young children.
History:
-Emerged during the 1950s as an alternative to structured approaches. Often associated with the oral
philosophy, but used today regardless of communication methodology. (p17)
Combined Approach:
Description:
The importance of semantics and pragmatics are used as basis for language acquisition. Grammar patterns, etc,
are taught as tools for language reinforcement, but this approach also stresses the importance of situating
language instruction in the real world.
History:
As understanding about communication progressed, combined approaches developed. (p17-25)
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Stepha Locke, Submitted January 18, 2010, Assignment 1: Parent Handout
Information about various communication methods:
Cued Speech
Description:
Handshapes are used by the mouth to assist with speech; these handshapes are not sign nor are they
fingerspelling, instead they are shapes to phonetically code spoken language, as many sounds are
indistinguishable when speech reading.
This method seems to benefit only those with usable residual hearing and good speech reading skills, and can
work successfully for those who are able to encode language phonetically through the auditory pathway.
(Easterbrooks and Baker, p13)
History:
Originally developed by Cornett in the 1960s.
More Info:
Check out http://www.cuedspeech.org/
English Based Sign Systems:
Total Communication (TC)
Seeing Essential English (SEE I) & Signing Exact
Description:
English (SEE II)
TC consists of auditory training, speech reading,
Description:
fingerspelling, speech, and sign language (not ASL, but
These systems borrow signs from ASL and put them in coded English- see English Based Sign Systems.)
English grammatical order, creating signs and systems History:
for pronouns, prefixes, etc, as necessary. ASL signs are Also made popular in the 1970s, TC was developed by
altered by initializing when used in such systems.
Roy Holocomb in 1967, who believed Oralism was too
Coded English systems cannot represent a complete
restrictive. Holocomb’s version used ASL, but because
language system by themselves, so another choice is
teachers use sign and speech together (sim com),
preferable for profoundly deaf children who rely
coded English became the norm. TC was the most
solely on visuals to access information. (p13-15)
widely used method in the USA from the late 1970s to
History:
the 1990s. (p13-15)
English based sign systems developed popularity in
More Info:
the 1970s. Some developers avoided fingerspelling
Check out: http://www.ericdigests.org/1998because of a belief that it would be too difficult for
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young children.
BC Family Hearing Resource Centre:
http://www.bcfamilyhearing.com
Bilingual-Bicultural (Bi-Bi)
Auditory Verbal Therapy
Description:
Description:
Bi-Bi uses ASL as the first language of the child, and
Students are dissuaded from using their vision to help
English as a second (written) language. It uses the
their listening, and instead are taught to use their
premise that deaf children learn more effectively
auditory channel only. Similar to the Oral method but
through their unimpaired visual pathways than their
without the visual cues. The idea is to promote an
impaired auditory channel.
individual’s ability to self monitor spoken language by
Bi-Bi includes recognition of Deaf culture as well.
listening to themselves and others.
History:
History:
Appeared in the 80s due to dissatisfaction with the
A form or aural rehabilitation similar to the
outcomes of deaf education. Research indicates that
Acoupedics approach by Pollack (1964): a child taught
deaf children born to deaf parents who used ASL
to lipread or sign will rely on their visuals and may not
produced better results in academic achievement,
develop their full listening potential. This has become
literacy, English usage, and social emotional
an appropriate approach given the developments in
development. (p15).
technology, primarily the cochlear implant.
More Info:
More Info:
Check out: http://www.ericdigests.org/1998Check out:
2/children.htm
http://nc.agbell.org/netcommunity/academy/
Provincial School for the Deaf:
Children’s Hearing and Speech Centre of BC:
http://sd41.bc.ca/programs/school_for_the_deaf.htm http://www.deafeducationcentre.org/
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Reference:
Stepha Locke, Submitted January 18, 2010, Assignment 1: Parent Handout
Easterbrooks, S. R. & Baker, S. (2002). Language learning in children who are deaf and hard of hearing:
Multiple pathways. (pp. 13-22). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Additional Reference:
Bell, L., Lane, S., & Parson-Tylka, T. (2006). My turn to learn: An up to date guide for parents of babies
and children with hearing loss. Surrey, BC: BC Family Hearing Resource Centre.
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