Advanced Language and the Deaf Child: DE 576

Jessica ScottBoston University, Session 4February 8, 2012Advanced Language and the Deaf Child: DE 576Food for thoughtWhats wrong with being deaf? Im deaf. Im fine. I function fine. I drive. I have a family. Ive made a baby. I make people laugh. I travel. What the hell is going on? Like I have to hear - that has nothing to do with it. Its all about knowledge; its about the heart. Its about abilities, about doing something you want and getting what you want out of lifeKnowledge is the most powerful vehicle to success, not hearing, not speakingCJ JonesAgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashHousekeepingAgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashHousekeepingDiscussion: Chrisann!A discussion board interludeThose who advocate for the inclusion model, arguing that "placing children with disabilities in the same location with children having no disabilities provides equal access to learning experiences" (Pg 32). I'm confused here...what is equal about sending a student with any disability in to a classroom with other students make it equal access? Nevertheless a deaf or HOH student who is lacking in the majorities language? If anything, this is far from equal and more so discouraging.The deaf students struggle because the classroom is not conducive to their learning styles, the teachers don't modify their lessons to meet the needs of student, and they miss so much due to hearing customs and the interpreters inability to interpret more than one conversation at once. Add to that they are completely isolated because they are "different" and they have an adult following them around. Then when they don't succeed because honestly who would in that type of situation, they claim the child can't learn or excel "because of their disability, those poor deaf kids". So, how exactly is inclusion helping them?A discussion board interludeDeaf peers would support each other during their school life. So, if there are good numbers of Deaf peers in mainstream settings, Deaf students' feeling would be comfortable than being isolated. But it is still hard way for all mainstream settings, I am feeling it is still endless problem.If all the deaf students in the school were only in this pull-out classroom all day, there were more teachers, and each student was learning at his/her level/zone of proximal development, could this be an alternative to mainstreaming? This picture of the self-contained classroom was pretty appealing, especially after reading about what their regular classrooms are like. Could a mini Deaf school survive inside a public school?

AgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashCI CornerReading and spelling abilities of Deaf adolescents with cochlear implants and hearing aidsBy Margaret Harris and Emmanouela Terlek tsiPublished in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education in 2010What did they do?3 groups of children hearing aid group, early implant group and late implant groupLooked at their reading and spelling abilityCI Corner: AbstractA total of 86 deaf children aged between 12 and 16 years were recruited from schools for the deaf, specialist units attached to a school, and mainstream schools. Approximately one-third used hearing aids, one-third had received a cochlear implant before 42 months, and one-third had been implanted later. The 3 subgroups were matched for age and nonverbal IQ , and all had an unaided hearing loss of at least 85 dB. Assessments revealed mean reading ages that were several years below chronological age for all 3 groups. However, participants in the hearing aid group performed best. Reading levels were not predicted by age of diagnosis or degree of hearing loss, but there was a relationship between reading level and presence of phonetic errors in spelling. There were also differences in educational setting, with the great majority of children in the hearing aid group in a school for the deaf and relatively more of the children with cochlear implants being educated in a unit or mainstream setting.CI Corner: DemographicsWho was there?30 children with early implantation (before 42 months)29 children with later implantation (after 42 months)27 children with hearing aidsAll between the ages of 12 and 16Of the 59 students with CIs: only 13 were in a mainstream school31 preferred sign only or speech and sign for communication

CI Corner: FindingsChildren with cochlear implants did not read any better than peers who had hearing aidsIn fact, children with just hearing aids read significantly better than children with early implantsMeaning that implantation in and of itself does not necessarily lead to improved English readingThey theorize possibly because these children avoid reading, which is challenging for them

A final quote:Might it be the case that the supportive environment of a school for the deaf provides a better setting for the continuing development of literacy skills? (p. 32)Children with hearing aids all scored higher in reading developmentAll children with hearing aids attended a school for the Deaf

What do you think of these findings?Do you believe that the higher literacy skills of the hearing aid users is because of their placement in a school for the Deaf?AgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashComparing language environmentsMainstream ClassSelf-contained ClassSet up as a hearing classroom (seating, activities)Little interactionFew students who knew any signsChallenge for interpreter to provide all information that hearing children hearSet up as a Deaf classroom (visual information and language access)Abundant interactionAll community members were signersRich linguistic interactions and literacy experiencesThe influence of VygotskyChapter 6 explores the importance of Vygotsky in the classroomThe opportunities to interactThe opportunities to explore languageThe opportunities to form relationshipsThis was clearly different in the mainstream classroom than it was in the self-contained classroom Questions to discuss in groupsIs it even possible for mainstream classrooms to provide the linguistic and visual environment that Deaf children need?Why or why not?It is noted that the self-contained classroom attended to the differences not only between ASL and English, but between ASL and English-based signs. Why is this important? How might it impact language development?Looking at student language/literacy interactions, in depthOne group will look at Robbie (p. 95-98), one at Tom (98-104), and the last at Paul (104-108)What was your students strategies for language learning?How about literacy learning?How did adult and peer interaction play a role in his learning?How did the self-contained classroom support this?AgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashBreak!

AgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashHousekeepingThank you for coming, Joan!AgendaDiscussion: ChrisannCI CornerLanguage: In the mainstream versus the self containedBreak!Guest Speaker: Joan NashHousekeepingHousekeepingNext week we will be exploring further the importance of language in the Deaf Education classroomTiffany will be our discussion leader!We will also be finishing Deaf Children in Public Schools, and beginning Rethinking the Education of Deaf StudentsHave an excellent week!