| Subject: Fact: 5: No single communication approach works for all children. |
Author:
Joyce
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Date Posted: 06:54:40 03/04/03 Tue
Author Host/IP: 170-215-50-161.bras01.cha.wv.frontiernet.net/170.215.50.161
Fact: 5: No single communication approach works for all children.
The communication approaches used by deaf and hard of hearing people differ in their emphasis on vision and hearing to understand and communicate with others. Many people who are deaf adapt the way they communicate depending upon the people with whom they are communicating and the situation. Families with young children who have a hearing loss want to know which approach will work best for their child and are surprised to find that there is no single right approach for all.
The communication approaches used with babies and parents in early intervention programs range from a focus solely on the use of vision to promote language acquisition (such as with American Sign Language) to one that concentrates on the development of listening with the use of advanced technology and discourages any visual information including sign language or speechreading, i.e., Auditory/Verbal Approach. (For more information about language and communication approaches used by deaf and hard of hearing people, visit Info to Go, http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/infotogo/index.html.)
Despite efforts to determine what the best communication methodology is for all children, research consistently indicates that different approaches have different outcomes for different children (Carney & Moeller, 1998). Families often experience tremendous angst as they try to make the best choice for their child. Unfortunately, professionals may add to the stress with their lack of information or strong personal biases (Sass-Lehrer, 2002). Some research suggests that the mode of communication is less important than the quality of parent-child communication (Rosenbaum, 1998; Vacarri & Marschark, 1997).
Determining whether communication will be learned most effectively through the use of American Sign Language, listening and spoken language, signs and spoken language, or Cued Speech is a process that requires collaboration between parents and professionals (Moeller & Condon, 1994). Only after gathering information about the child's developmental abilities, unique characteristics, and the family's perspectives can professionals guide the decision-making process. Professionals must recognize that the decisions families make are not always based on the degree of their child's hearing loss or data collected through a series of assessments. Families' decisions are often based upon their views of the world, their experiences, and their goals for their children and their individual family situations. For complete story visit: http://clerccenter2.gallaudet.edu/KidsWorldDeafNet/e-docs/EI/section-3.html#fact5
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