Communication and social skills of deaf and Hard-of-hearing children

Abstract

Kako ćemo funkcionisati u svakodnevnim aktivnostima, ostvari- vati svoje potrebe i sticati znanja u velikoj meri zavisi od veština komunikacije i sposobnosti uspostavljanja adekvatnih socijalnih kon- takata. Barijere u komunikaciji koje su kod gluvih i nagluvih osoba pri- sutne, neminovno dovode do nedovoljnog ili neadekvatnog razumevanja društvenih događanja i pravila. Sfera socijalnog ponašanja kod gluvih i nagluvih osoba može biti veoma narušena. Cilj ovog rada je da prikaže specifičnosti razvoja komunikativnih i socijalnih veština kod gluve i nagluve dece, od najranijeg uzrasta, preko predškolskog, pa sve do sfere obrazovanja. Komunikativne i socijalne veštine gluvih i nagluvih učenika zavi- se od različitih faktora i uslova koji ih okružuju. One su preduslov us- pešne socijalne inkluzije i uključivanja u društvo. Trebalo bi istaći značaj razvoja rane komunikacije koja se odvija u porodici, kao prvog pre- duslova za razvoj socijalnih veština. Faktori kao što su: podsticaj- no okruženje, adekvatni vizuelni i akustički stimulusi, rad rehabili- tatora, nastavnika u redovnim školama i defektologa, zatim rad na ranom razvoju govora i jezika, prisutnost tumača/interpretatora za znakovni jezik, mogu pozitivno uticati na razvoj socijalnih veština i odnosa sa vršnjacima koji čuju.How we are going to function in everyday activities, meet our needs and gain knowledge depends to a large degree on our communication skills and ability to establish adequate social contacts. Communication barriers which deaf and hard-of-hearing persons have, inevitably lead to insufficient or inadequate understanding of social events and rules. The sphere of social behaviour can be very much impaired in deaf and hard-of-hearing persons. The aim of this paper is to show the specificities of the development of communication and social skills in deaf and hard-of-hearing children, from their earliest age, through their preschool age, up to the sphere of their education. The communication and social skills of the deaf and hard-of-hearing students depend on the different factors that surround them. They are a prerequisite for successful social inclusion and being included in the society. We should emphasize the importance of the development of early communication, that takes place within the family, as the first prerequisite for the development of social skills. Factors such as a supportive environment, adequate visual and acoustic stimuli, the work of rehabilitators, regular school teachers and special education teachers, and then working on the early development of speech and language influence their development greatly. Early adoption of sign language, bilingual education which has been more and more prevalent in the world, as well as the presence of sign language interpreters in regular institutions – schools, can positively influence the development of social skills in deaf and hard-of-hearing persons and their relationships with their hearing peers