In mid -stream: A qualitative case study of a young deaf woman - Becoming \u27Leigh\u27

The purpose of this longitudinal case study was to closely examine one deaf child\u27s lived experience. The research was designed to examine linguistic development, academic experience, and personal and social conditions through the use of multiple interviews with a \u27hearing\u27 mother and her deaf daughter. Their perspectives have been shared as well as that of the narrator/inquirer.;The study begins when \u27Leigh\u27 was identified as having a profound, bilateral hearing loss at the age of 12 months, and continues to date with her current status as a twenty year old, college sophomore. The raw texts analyzed include: interview excerpts, results of educational and audiological evaluations, educational records from grades pre-K--12, and medical reports stemming from her cochlear implant. Leigh was one of the youngest children to receive a cochlear implant, which was performed following her third birthday in April of 1991.;Leigh\u27s language acquisition was the result of exposure to sign language. Signs were her first language and preferred mode of communication throughout her years of language development. Following the implant, speech and auditory discrimination skills improved to the point that currently, she relies primarily on speech without signs to communicate. Leigh attended public school where she spent time both in a self-contained classroom for deaf and hard-of-hearing students as well as in the regular classroom with an interpreter. Leigh continues to benefit from a sign language interpreter in her college courses to access lectures and class discussions.;Unique to this case is the fact that the inquirer/narrator has maintained a close relationship with Leigh and her mother for nineteen years. Findings indicate that Leigh\u27s success is the result of multiple factors, among which are her own ambition, a supportive home environment, a sense of meaning and purpose, multiple supportive relationships, the ability to cross borders affording the opportunity to define self, and consistent exposure to mentors who provided her with an environment in which to thrive.;Additional longitudinal case studies are needed in order to yield a broader snapshot from which to draw conclusions regarding educational experience, impact of intervention, and social condition among the young deaf adult population

The psychosocial development of children with hearing impairments : a comparative study.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.Teachers in South Africa and the United Kingdom rated their hearing impaired pupils, using the Meadow/Kendall Social Emotional Assessment Inventory, an instrument specifically designed for use with this population. The ratings of teachers from both countries were compared for the complete group of subjects (N=92, SA=42, UK=S0) and special school children (N=68, SA=38, UK=30). Children aged 10-12 years, with severe to profound hearing losses and no additional difficulties from South Africa and the United Kingdom, obtained similar scores on two subscales (social adjustment; self-image). On the third subscale (emotional adjustment) British children were rated more positively than South African children. The lower South African score was attributed to results from one South African special school which included children likely to have had more negative experiences than children from other schools. Additional item analysis revealed that children from both countries with hearing impairments do not show unusual or antisocial behaviours and have adapted well to communicative modes adopted in individual schools. Both groups of teachers rated the behaviour of their pupils as generally immature, especially with regard to motivation. It is suggested that such behavioural tendencies reflect appropriate adjustment to management by parents and teachers. Differences in levels of emotional adjustment noted between groups within the subject population are explained in terms of the life events framework. It is suggested that hearing impaired children who experience more negative life circumstances are at greater risk of developing emotional problems than others less affected

Successful deaf readers: deaf professionals\u27 perspectives on their childhood learning-to-read experiences

The purpose of this project was to discover if there were any common themes or factors that exist, or are perceived to exist, in the childhood reading experiences of successful deaf readers serving as participants in this study. Despite the availability of research concerning poor reading abilities among many deaf children, there has been little exploration into the experiences of successful deaf readers. Through in-depth interviews, detailed information was collected from five deaf adults holding Ph. D. degrees and working in the field of education regarding their learning-to-read experiences. Information was then analyzed and placed in thematic categories related to participation in sportslrecreation activities, availability of reading material at home, literacy activities supported at home, the communication environment at home, parent involvement in education, and a sense of high expectations regarding educational achievements. This paper includes insight from the participants themselves, conveying information to parents and educators regarding potentially significant variables and useful strategies to consider for practice in fostering the successful reading development of young deaf children

Communication patterns in families with preschool deaf children - A survey

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis presents the results of a survey of 113 parents of preschool deaf children living in England and Wales. The sample included 18 deaf parents and 115 hearing parents from all walks of life. All the families had been exposed to parent guidance based on the importance of amplified speech in the education of the deaf. The Lewis Report(1968) recommended that a survey of communication used by parents and very young deaf children should be done. The survey aimed to provide information about modes of communication used by parents and very young deaf children. The data was gathered by systematic interviews, tape recordings and direct observations in people's homes. The results support the hypothesis that a mixture of verbal and nonverbal procedures are typical in such families. 68% of hearing parents used a mixture of pointing, showing objects, esoteric gestures and short simple sentences with the children. Child-parent communication was dominated by physical contact, esoteric gestures and pointing. The data suggest as negative association between speaking and use of natural gestures. 65% of the children did not develop connected speech in spite of much exposure to amplified speech. Parent guidance was evaluated in terms of support for parents, information for parents, direct teaching of parents and child teaching. 57% of mothers and 70% of fathers asked for more child teaching rather than more Information or support for themselves. Hearing parents reported difficulties in holding the child's attention (67%) communication problems (52%) child uncooperative (45%) when attempting to apply guidance principles with their own children. Information from the deaf parents suggests that such problems are greatly reduced by use of a shared sign language in such families. Several ways of improving parent guidance are discussed in the light of these findings.This study is funded by the SSRC and National Deaf Children's Society

Deafness, discourse and identity:: critical issues in deaf education

It has long been acknowledged that the main problem associated with deaf education is one of language. To remedy this issue, education polices and methods have focused on the children's inability to communicate effectively in the majority language and have imposed strict regimes within schools aimed at enabling deaf children to talk. This thesis offers a critical examination of such methods and also of the relevant discourses influencing deaf children within education. This thesis argues that the problems associated with deaf children’s experience within education starts, not at their point of entry into formal education, but at birth. My research highlights the fact that deafness is not primarily the deprivation of sound; it is the deprivation of a functional language. The arbitrary imposition of particular language policies within schools be it sign or spoken languages do not really address the underlying issues. This thesis is primarily a critique of the relevant discourses which are complemented by the experiences of the deaf children highlighted in my sample. This thesis show that without the consideration of deaf children’s views and experiences the problems inherent within deaf education will not be addressed adequatel