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.     

Influence and adaptability in families with deaf parents and hearing children

This study assessed the influence of individual family members in functional families, primarily to determine whether hearing children of deaf parents have more influence than do hearing children of hearing parents. Eight families with deaf parents and a hearing child and eight all hearing families were videotaped while planning a family meal together. It was found that deaf-parented families share many traits with hearing families. However, there were some differences. The hearing children of deaf parents had a greater number and percentage of their ideas accepted than did the hearing children of hearing parents. Differences were also noted between the deaf fathers and the hearing fathers. The deaf-parented families were more adaptable, as measured by the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale. The observed difference in child influence, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. Deafness of one family member, in an auditory dependent environment, may require a more flexible family power structure. Professionals assessing deaf-parented families should be sensitive to the special adaptive needs required for healthy functioning of the family.     

Contact With Grandparents Among Children Conceived Via Donor Insemination by Lesbian and Heterosexual Mothers

Objective. This study compared the networks of extended family and friendship relationships of children conceived via donor insemination with lesbian versus heterosexual parents. Design. Eighty families participated; 55 of the families were headed by lesbian parents and 25 were headed by heterosexual parents. Parents reported their children's contact with grandparents and other important adults. Results. Most children had regular contact with grandparents, other relatives, and adult nonrelatives outside their immediate households, and there were no differences in this regard as a function of parental sexual orientation. Both children of lesbian and heterosexual parents had more frequent contact with the parents of their biological mother than with the parents of their father or other mother. Conclusions. Contrary to negative stereotypes, children of lesbian mothers were described as having regular contact with grandparents. Regardless of parental sexual orientation, children were described as being in more frequent contact with grandparents to whom they were biologically linked.     

Value of Family and Group Counseling Models Where Grandparents Function as Parents to their Grandchildren

Those involved in circumstances in which children are raised by their grandparents often encounter serious problems that require assistance from counselors. Research suggests that grandparents and parents in these families typically experience heightened stress and psychosocial distress. Additionally, the children often encounter behavioral, emotional, and academic difficulties. These difficulties usually occur partly as a result of the factors that lead to grandparents having to assume responsibility for the children. This paper provides a report of the phenomenon, particularly as it relates to the various members’ psychosocial well-being. In addition, family and group counseling are advanced as valuable relational psychotherapeutic models to enhance the well-being of the children, grandparents and parents involved.     

浅析隔代教育对幼儿早期阅读的影响及对策

隔代教育是当前中国家庭教育中客观存在的一种教育形态。由于受年龄、教育背景、文化层次、教育观念等因素的影响,祖辈和父辈两类主要教养人在不同学历层次上的分布的差剐对幼儿早期阅读能力的培养具有显著差异。隔代教育给幼儿早期阅读带来的负面影响为：缺乏对幼儿发展规律的尊重,缺乏开放性和灵活性,教育方式单一,缺乏多样性。解决对策为：在不完全隔代教育的家庭中提倡亲子分享阅读,在完全隔代教育的家庭中构建隔代家长的科学阅读观,加强家园共读。     

浅谈幼儿早期教育问题与反思

在过去一段时间里,中国的教育存在一个主要的特点,即父母外出工作,祖辈带孩子。例如我们幼儿园早教班的60多名2~3岁的幼儿,98%的孩子父母外出工作没有精力照顾孩子,孩子主要是由祖辈抚养。而长辈仍然存在传统的教育观,普遍对孩子较为溺爱,孩子在家总是衣来伸手,饭来张口。在这种环境中,孩子极易养成以自我为中心的个性。本文以此为背景对孩子的早期教育问题提出建议及反思,以期使家庭教育得到进一步的完善。     

Do you see what I see? School perspectives of deaf children,hearing children and their parents☆

Perspectives on academic and social aspects of children’s school experiences were obtained from deaf and hearing children and their (deaf or hearing) parents. Possible differences between (1) the views of children and their parents and (2) those of hearing children and their parents compared to deaf children and their parents were of particular interest. Overall, parents gave their children higher school friendship ratings than the children gave themselves, and hearing children and their parents were more positive about children’s friendships than were deaf children and their parents. Both children and parents also saw deaf children as less successful in reading than hearing children. However, deaf children having deaf parents, attending a school for the deaf and using sign language at home all were associated with more positive perceptions of social success. Use of cochlear implants was not associated with perceptions of greater academic or social success. These and related findings are discussed in the context of parent and child perspectives on social and academic functioning and particular challenges confronted by deaf children in regular school settings.     

Hmong immigrants' views on the education of their deaf and hard of hearing children

The study investigated the attitudes, perceptions, and feelings of parents of 7 Hmong families that included a deaf or hard of hearing child attending a U.S. public school. The findings indicate that many Hmong parents value education and want to be involved in their deaf or hard of hearing child's learning. However, the parents in the study did not know how to become involved, and needed the support of the school. Although they accepted their deaf or hard of hearing children unconditionally, they had lower academic expectations of that child than of their hearing children. Most of the parents reported limited knowledge of the policies, procedures, practices, and organizational structures of special education, and all cited communication barriers as impediments to involvement in their child's education. Most of the parents expressed strong satisfaction with their child's educational program. The findings suggest several areas for further research.     

Self-concept among hearing Chinese children of deaf parents

This paper discusses a study of Chinese children in Hong Kong that compared the self-concepts of hearing children of deaf parents with the self-concepts of hearing children of hearing parents. The study was based on the responses to a questionnaire given to 42 deaf couples and their 70 hearing children, and 41 hearing couples and their 82 hearing children. It found no differences in the self-concepts of hearing children of deaf parents and hearing children of hearing parents. However, it did find that deaf parents had lower self-concepts than hearing parents.     

ASL and the family system.

This paper examines some of the sociological implications of poor interaction on families in which one of the members is deaf. When a family systems perspective is used, once a child is diagnosed as deaf the family is no longer considered "hearing"; the parents may be hearing, the other children may be, but the family system becomes "hearing and deaf." By viewing this as a hearing/deaf problem, it becomes clear that no adequate solution can be found without the participation of deaf adults and the benefit of their perspectives and insights. We suggest that attention be directed toward neutralizing the effects of the stigma associated with deafness so that American Sign Language can become a pivotal tool for facilitating functional symbolic interaction in hearing/deaf families.     

Reflections on Deaf Education: Perspectives of Deaf Senior Citizens

Parents with deaf children face many challenges in making educational choices, developing language and a sense of belonging. Other key aspects of life including concept development and social competency are also critical decision points faced by parents. Developing language, whether it is through spoken or signed modalities, is of utmost importance during the formative years and for many families with deaf children, there are no prior experiences with deafness, American Sign Language, Deaf culture, or the deaf community. This study aims to understand the educational and familial experiences of older deaf citizens by examining the meaning of being deaf and members of biological and cultural families, and the concern for education of young deaf children as constructed by deaf senior citizens from both deaf and hearing families. For the purpose of obtaining both childhood and educational experiences of older deaf citizens and examining what advice they would offer to families of today with deaf children, a qualitative design was implemented in which 13 participants participated in focus group and individual interviews. Themes that emerged from the data include, but are not limited to, community-based learning, the value of communication, involvement with other deaf individuals, importance of family communication and signing, sibling involvement and including deaf children as true members of a family. One recommendation made by the deaf senior adults was that families with deaf children engage with deaf seniors more frequently as a valuable resource.     

农村超生寄养儿童研究综述

超生寄养儿童是指违反国家计划生育政策出生的曾经被安置在祖辈、亲戚等家里抚养的儿童。寄养儿童的特殊性在于寄养儿童有父母,但得不到父母的亲身照顾。早期的亲子分离使他们与父母之间没有形成正常的亲子依恋关系,非正常的依恋对寄养儿童身心发展产生消极的影响。早期的亲子分离也给超生寄养儿童带来严重的心理伤害。文章介绍了国内外学者对超生寄养儿童的研究概况,并提出展望。     

Grandparents—the overlooked potential partners: perceptions and practice of teachers in special and regular education

The unique contribution of grandparents to families of children with and without disabilities is often overlooked in the clinical and empirical literature. Perceptions and practice of teachers regarding grandparents were examined. Eighty‐two special education teachers and 80 teachers from regular classes completed a 30‐item questionnaire tapping perceptions of structural and functional aspects of grandparents’ support to parents, and actual practice with grandparents. Results show that, on the whole, few differences were found between special and regular education. Although teachers acknowledge the significant and stable role that grandparents play, they rarely translate this to actual practice. Moreover, more than half the teachers showed no interest in acquiring more professional training in this area. The findings present a challenge to educators and policy‐makers to be more attentive to the significant family resource of grandparents that is currently practically ignored.     

Kitchen notes, 'the grapevine', and other writing in childhood

In semistructured interviews, 20 men and 20 women (10 deaf and 10 hearing) between the ages of 18 and 28 recalled instances of instrumental, social, and expressive writing from their childhood. In contrast to earlier research, we found that instrumental writing occurred as frequently between deaf children and their hearing parents as between deaf children and their deaf parents and that all homes with a deaf family member had telecommunication devices for the deaf(TTYs). Whereas all respondents engaged in some form of social writing, deaf respondents did less personal or expressive writing than their hearing peers. Implications for literacy instruction and further research are that (a) teachers should take advantage of the writing experience that students bring to the classroom, (b) writing should be used as a tool for learning and classroom communication, and (c) the effects of experience, genre, school setting, and technology on the writing of deaf students should be examined.     

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.     

Stress and coping in families with deaf children

More than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who experience stress, not only in respose to the initial diagnosis, but also in adapting to the unique needs of their deaf child. This article is a selective literature review summarizing information from three fields in order to broaden our understanding of family adaptation to deafness. Discussion includes (1) psychology's model of individual stress and coping (2) family science's model of family stress management, and (3) literature on family adjustment to disability. The last part of the article traces the development of professionals' understanding of the reciprocal influences between deaf children and their families and describes recent research indicating that the impact of deafness on families is complex and variable. The final conclusion is that adoption of a family stress and coping paradigm would inform discussion of current issues in deafness, such as cochlear implants and bilingualism/biculturalism.     

家庭抚养形式对幼儿同伴关系与师生关系的影响研究

现在,儿童的家庭抚养形式日趋多元化.基于幼儿家庭抚养形式对幼儿的同伴关系与师生关系进行比较,结果表明:幼儿的家庭抚养形式中,父母抚养仍为最主要的抚养形式,隔代抚养次之,共同抚养与其他抚养所占比例较小;幼儿的家庭抚养形式不存在男女性别差异,但存在显著的年级差异;幼儿的同伴接纳与教师接纳不存在抚养形式的差异.     

Grandparents of Children with Disabilities: a review

Grandparents are important sources of support to children with disabilities and their families. However, there has been very little published research concerned with grandparents’ roles and experiences in relation to their grandchild with disabilities. Existing research is reviewed in the present paper. Although both parents and grandparents themselves report a wide range of supportive activities and increased involvement with the child with disabilities, grandparents may also be an additional burden to families. In particular, parents may find it difficult to deal with grandparents’ immediate and longer term emotional responses to their grandchild's disability. Clinical, educational, and other professionals have an important role to play working with grandparents and facilitating their role as a resource for families of children with disabilities. The implications of the review for research on grandparents are also discussed.     

Deaf Children’s Understanding of Other People’s Thought Processes

This study focuses on the ability of deaf children to predict the behaviours of other people, based on an understanding of their beliefs. An unexpected transfer task and a deceptive box task were used with a group of 55 severely/profoundly deaf children. Results reiterate the findings of other studies that many deaf children are grossly delayed in this important area of social functioning compared to their hearing counterparts. Deaf children of deaf parents/carers fared better than deaf children with hearing parents/carers. Implications for early intervention and education programmes are discussed.