Pathways underlying somatic complaints in children and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing

Frequent somatic complaints are not only a problem in themselves but also related to other difficulties. So far, no conclusive findings have been reported about the prevalence of and factors underlying these complaints in children and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Such information would be valuable for prevention and intervention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of somatic complaints and their relation with emotional functioning in DHH youngsters, as compared with hearing youngsters. This was established by assessing how somatic complaints, mood states, and sense of coherence were experienced by 186 Dutch participants (mean age = 11;07 years). DHH and hearing groups were compared using multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling. The results showed that somatic complaints were reported equally often for both groups, but that the pathways leading to these complaints were partly different. Only in DHH participants were feelings of fear associated with more somatic complaints. The results suggest that DHH children and adolescents would benefit from support in the regulation of fear and its causes. Other aspects affecting adjustment outcomes of DHH youngsters were education type and communication mode.     

Maternal sensitivity predicts language gain in preschool children who are deaf and hard of hearing

The link between maternal sensitivity and child language gain was assessed in a prospective study of hearing mothers and their deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) children. Maternal sensitivity in dyadic interaction was assessed when children were approximately 2 years old, and expressive language gain was assessed at 2 to 3 years using the Minnesota Child Development Inventory. Sensitivity made significant, positive, and unique predictions of expressive language gain when the effects of maternal education, degree of child hearing loss, dyadic mode of communication, and time between assessments were controlled. Findings indicate the value of affective measures of interaction in predicting language gain.     

Deaf and hard of hearing children and adolescents in China: their fears and anxieties

The study examined the fears and anxieties of Chinese deaf and hard of hearing children and adolescents, and the ability of parents and teachers to report the presence of these fears and anxieties. Chinese deaf youth are at risk due to a lack of trained teachers, an overemphasis on oral education in schools, negative stereotypes, and parental overprotectiveness. The deaf children and adolescents in the study reported significantly higher levels of total fears, total anxieties, fear of the unknown, fear of injury and small animals, fear of medical procedures, and concentration anxiety than their hearing counterparts. Girls reported more total fears, fear of the unknown, fear of minor injury and small animals, and fear of failure and criticism than boys. Parents showed a better ability than teachers to confirm these reports of fears and anxieties. Implications and directions for future studies are presented.     

Family supports and resources for parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing

The study examined family supports after identification of children's hearing loss. On a questionnaire, 456 respondents rated the importance of different aspects of family support, the quality of supports they experienced, and their preferences about informational resources. They verified the importance of informational resources, social-emotional support, and educational advocacy. Families expressed a preference for discussion with other parents of children with hearing loss over discussion with parents of children without hearing loss. The quality of support was rated higher by parents of children with cochlear implants than by parents of children with hearing aids. Top-ranked sources of support included individual professionals and service providers, other parents of children with hearing loss, family support organizations, and grandparents and extended-family members. Open-ended written responses indicated that parents desired additional opportunities to connect with mentors, role models, and other parents.     

Adapted interactive writing instruction with kindergarten children who are deaf or hard of hearing

The study describes an adapted form of interactive writing (McCarrier, Pinnell, & Fountas, 2000) and examines its effectiveness as an approach to beginning writing instruction for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Systematic videotape analysis was used to document the content of 45 adapted interactive writing lessons across an academic year. Findings of the study suggest that interactive writing has the potential to support early writing development in young deaf and hard of hearing children, if supplemented by techniques that make the phonology of English visible.     

The signed reading fluency of students who are deaf/hard of hearing

Reading fluency in deaf children whose primary mode of communication is visual, whether English-like or American Sign Language, is difficult to measure since most measures of fluency require a child to read aloud. This article opens the discussion of a new construct, namely, signed reading fluency (i.e., rendering of printed text in a visually fluent manner) in children with hearing loss whose primary means of expressive language includes some form of sign. Further, it describes the development of an assessment rubric to measure signed reading fluency. A comparison of fluency scores and scores on tests of vocabulary and text comprehension of 29 middle school students who attended a school for the deaf indicated that signed reading fluency, as defined and measured by this instrument, correlates highly both with word and passage comprehension.     

Gender differences in response to auditory-verbal intervention in children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Recent research has questioned the role of gender in language development and in special education outcomes, yet neither issue has been addressed in literature on students who are deaf or hard of hearing. To determine if language and placement outcomes differ by gender, the present study considered the behavior of children who attended a clinical program subscribing to an auditory-verbal philosophy. Parents of 28 boys and 42 girls with hearing losses evaluated their children using the Parent Rating Scale of the Leiter International Performance Scale--Revised (Roid & Miller, 1997) and the Parental View of Therapy Scale (developed for the present study). Also, clinical file data were surveyed. The boys were found to be more likely than the girls to be rated by their parents as having basic features of temperament nonconducive to traditional clinical language intervention. The girls' language and placement outcomes surpassed the boys', although both groups' outcomes were positive. A possible limitation of the study was that the population was atypical of students with hearing losses in general.     

Diversity in deafness: Assessing students who are deaf or hard of hearing

The purpose of this article is to support members of a student's multidisciplinary team to identify complex factors involved in providing valid classroom-based assessment data, including issues surrounding technology-based assessment for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). The diversity of this population creates unique challenges in creating guidelines for assessment. An overview of the diversity of DHH students is used to provide a framework for examining current assessment practices, including both effective and ineffective practices. Cognitive and linguistic learning differences and diverse language learning experiences in the population are discussed as they relate to assessment protocols. Paralleling technology-based learning experiences with comparable technology-based assessment experiences is also presented. Recommendations for planning for accessible and meaningful assessment include the use of innovative technologies to align instruction and assessment.     

Considerations, conceptualizations, and challenges in the study of concomitant learning disabilities among children and adolescents who are deaf or hard of hearing

In recent years, there has been increasing concern about the identification of and provision of appropriate services to children and adolescents who are deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) and who have concomitant learning disabilities (LD). Although it is unclear just how many youths who are D/HH also might have educationally significant learning problems, results from limited survey research and clinical practice provide evidence that such a group exists and that a significant portion of the school-age population of children and adolescents who are D/HH comprise a subgroup of youths who have concomitant LD. The overriding interest of those who advocate the cause of children and adolescents who are D/HH with concomitant LD is in finding effective ways to help these youths acquire future academic competence and attain competent levels of psychosocial functioning and emotional well-being. With creative research efforts and efficacious approaches to psychoeducational practice, we can seize the opportunity to establish high-quality diagnostic and educational services for children and adolescents who are D/HH and who have accompanying LD and set the stage to optimize positive developmental, academic, vocational, social, and economic outcomes for these youths.     

Implications of utilizing a phonics-based reading curriculum with children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Extensive literature has reiterated the reading difficulties of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Building and expanding upon the work of B. J. Trezek and K. W. Malmgren, this study demonstrated that given 1 year of instruction from a phonics-based reading curriculum supplemented by Visual Phonics, kindergarten and first-grade students who were deaf or hard of hearing could demonstrate improvements in beginning reading skills as measured by standardized assessments of (a) word reading, (b) pseudoword decoding, and (c) reading comprehension. Furthermore, the acquisition of beginning reading skills did not appear to be related to degree of hearing loss. In this study, students with various degrees of hearing loss benefited equally well from this phonics-based reading curriculum supplemented by Visual Phonics.     

Math in motion: origami math for students who are deaf and hard of hearing

This article aims to provide an overview of the use of origami in teaching mathematics to deaf and hard-of-hearing students. The author posits that in both the general and special education settings, origami can be very useful for students who are deaf and hard of hearing as many of them need to see and feel to learn and are likely to be concrete learners. Suggestions about how to conduct an origami math lesson for deaf and hard-of-hearing students are included in this article.     

The struggle for language: perspectives and practices of urban parents with children who are deaf or hard of hearing

Research is scarce on young children with hearing impairments growing up in urban environments. A qualitative study was used to explore and describe the perspectives and practices of these children's parents. An ethnographic approach enabled documentation of parents' routines, daily activities, thoughts (perceptions), and behaviors (practices). In-depth interviews and observations were the primary data sources. Data collection occurred within a 6-month period. Research questions focused on efforts parents make independently and with others (e.g., educational staff, family members) to facilitate and support their child's efforts to communicate and acquire language. Nine parents, two grandparents, and six staff members disclosed their perspectives and practices. While similarities and differences arose, universal perspectives and practices emerged among the parents that are discussed as prevailing themes. Results suggest that the parents' struggle, systemic barriers, and the urban environment are the greatest challenges facing families. Addressing these challenges will contribute to establishment of truly equitable and effective interventions for urban children, whether deaf or hard of hearing, their parents, and other family members.     

科研成果转化为实验教学内容的探索与实践

在教学改革中提出了基于学习理论的新的课程体系并进行了新课程的建设,设立了实验教学基金,面向优秀教师征集项目,有效依托科研优势提升实验教学水平,探索出科研成果转化为实验教学的创新模式,为拔尖创新人才的培养做出贡献.     

Integrating technology and reading instruction with children who are deaf or hard of hearing: the effectiveness of the Cornerstones project

In a comparison between the Cornerstones approach--a literature-based, technology-infused literacy project--and an instructional method designated the Typical approach, a mixed-method design was used to answer three research questions: (a) Will children who are deaf or hard of hearing demonstrate differences in beginning reading skills as measured by three outcome variables: Identification of Words in Print (or Word Identification), Word Knowledge, and Story Comprehension? (b) Are there carryover effects from the Cornerstones approach to the use of the Typical approach in subsequent experiments? (c) What is the feasibility of using the Cornerstones approach for literacy instruction? There were significant differences between the Typical and Cornerstones approaches in Word Identification and Story Comprehension in Experiments 1 and 2, though none in Word Knowledge or Story Comprehension in Experiment 3. Teacher feedback provided some evidence for the feasibility of using Cornerstones in the classroom.