The Profile of Multiple Language Proficiencies: A Measure for Evaluating Language Samples of Deaf Children

This article reports the process of creating a developmental measure that assesses the multilingual capabilities of deaf children and the problems that were encountered. Because deaf children may be using more than one method of communication (e.g., sign language skills and spoken language skills), it is important to evaluate their skills as completely as possible. In a pilot study, we used a nominal scale that assessed language skills based on a single continuum, with good English and good American Sign Language (ASL) skills as its two extremes and approximately equal skills in both as the midpoint. In the main study, a more complete measure was created, the Profile of Multiple Language Proficiencies (PMLP). The PMLP uses a single scale that represents the different stages of language development that can be observed in both English and ASL. The PMLP showed reasonable initial reliability and has good promise as an easy-to-use measure of developing language skills in children who use multiple modalities of communication. Using the PMLP as a prototype, we discuss some of the issues that influence the reliability and validity in evaluating such a scale and how these can be overcome or avoided.     

聋儿语训初探

在聋哑儿童语言康复训练过程中,笔者从环境训练、听觉训练、发音训练等几个方面进行了大胆而有意义的尝试和探索。本文对其进行详尽的介绍。     

Identification of Effective Strategies to Promote Language in Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants

Parental involvement and communication are essential for language development in young children. However, hearing parents of deaf children face challenges in providing language input to their children. This study utilized the largest national sample of deaf children receiving cochlear implants, with the aim of identifying effective facilitative language techniques. Ninety‐three deaf children (≤ 2 years) were assessed at 6 implant centers prior to and for 3 years following implantation. All parent–child interactions were videotaped, transcribed, and coded at each assessment. Analyses using bivariate latent difference score modeling indicated that higher versus lower level strategies predicted growth in expressive language and word types predicted growth in receptive language over time. These effective, higher level strategies could be used in early intervention programs.     

Jamaican Deaf Children Interacting with Written Language: Support for Bilingual Instruction?

The interrelationship among language components is the main conceptual framework for this study which examined the written language performance of Jamaican children with severe to profound hearing loss. Twelve subjects aged 15 to 16 years completed text level tasks in writing, reading and sign language. Hearing children aged 13 to 14 years completed writing and reading tasks. Multilevel analyses were undertaken. Differences and parity in performances were observed within and between groups at the word, sentence and text levels. Deaf children's ability to express complex ideas in sign language in the Jamaican education system indicated a need for nontraditional approaches in the teaching of written language. Suggestions are outlined for developing an instructional model to enhance written language using a bilingual approach.     

语境在聋儿语言获得中的作用探析

作为一个特殊的群体,聋儿获得语言和语言交际都是在一定的环境中进行的.针对聋儿语言获得的特点,采用对比分析法探讨了语境在聋儿语言获得过程中的作用.通过调查研究发现,语境对聋儿的语音、记忆和表达均产生一定的影响,利用与创造环境在聋儿语言获得上具有重要意义.     

Categorization and Its Developmental Relation to Early Language

Three studies examine the developmental relation between early linguistic and cognitive achievements. Studies 1 and 2 attempt to replicate previous findings of a strong temporal link between the ages at there is a sharp rise in new nominal productions and the appearance of 2-category grouping using a longitudinal design. Studies 1 and 2 differ principally in whether the same stimuli were employed each time the children's categorization was tested or whether different stimuli were employed. Study 3 compares the categorization performance of children identified as late talkers to age-matched and language-matched controls cross-sectionally. Our findings consistently show that children's ability to classify objects in a spatial of temporal order is independent of advances in productive vocabulary growth. These results suggest that although children's developing knowledge of object categories may underlie developments in categorization and naming such developments depend on other abilities as well Studyin the past experiences of the child and the particular context in which the behavior is exhibited may be a more meaningful approach to understanding changes in categorization and ultimately its relation to language.     

Nonverbal Executive Function is Mediated by Language: A Study of Deaf and Hearing Children

Studies have suggested that language and executive function (EF) are strongly associated. Indeed, the two are difficult to separate, and it is particularly difficult to determine whether one skill is more dependent on the other. Deafness provides a unique opportunity to disentangle these skills because in this case, language difficulties have a sensory not cognitive basis. In this study, deaf (n = 108) and hearing (n = 125) children (age 8 years) were assessed on language and a wide range of nonverbal EF tasks. Deaf children performed significantly less well on EF tasks, even controlling for nonverbal intelligence and speed of processing. Language mediated EF skill, but the reverse pattern was not evident. Findings suggest that language is key to EF performance rather than vice versa.     

美国乡村流动儿童的教育及其经验借鉴

在美国,由于一些从事农林渔业生产的家庭的流动性,伴生了农村流动儿童的教育及健康问题。为解决农村流动儿童的健康和教育问题,美国联邦政府长期实施一种被称作“流动学生教育计划”的项目,在解决美国流动中小学学生的学习和健康问题方面积累了经验。该计划在出台的背景、运作方式和服务的内容等方面,可为我国解决农村流动儿童教育问题提供可资借鉴的经验。     

聋听人语言比较及对策研究

比较聋人和听人的语言形式的异同以及相互之间的关系,提出聋教育的根本性任务,即在聋人手语的基础上,逐步形成将聋人手语直接转换成听人书面语的能力,培养、发展和提高聋人学习、理解、运用听人书面语的能力,为更好的回归主流社会打下基础。     

Categorization and Naming: Basic-Level Sorting in Eighteen-Month-Olds and Its Relation to Language

2 studies investigate whether 18-month-old children spontaneously sort objects into basic-level categories, and how this ability is related to naming. In Study 1, 18-month-old children were given spontaneous sorting tasks, involving both identical objects and objects with basic-level intracategory variation. Children were scored as having passed the tasks if they produced "exhaustive grouping," that is, physically grouped all the objects of one kind into one location and the objects of the other kind into a different location. The children also received means-ends and object-permanence tasks. Children's parents received a checklist of early names. Children who produced exhaustive grouping used significantly more names than those who did not, in both identical and basic-level cases. There was no such relation between object-permanence and naming or between means-ends performance and naming. In Study 2, children received arrays of the same objects, with either identical objects or objects with basic-level variation in each group. No significant differences were found between the identical and basic-level tasks. However, as in the previous task, performance on both types of categorization was related to naming. Children who produced exhaustive grouping were reported to produce more names than those who did not. There appears to be a close relation between object categorization and naming in young children. The theoretical implications of this empirical association are discussed.     

双语教学及其对中国聋校语言教学的影响

选择一种有效可行的教学方法以提高语文教学质量是聋教育界一直关注的重点和难点。本文简要介绍了聋校双语教学的特点及国外的一些实践并对其可能对中国聋校语文教学的影响进行了分析。     

聋童推理能力与言语理解能力关系初探

作者使用CRT、GIT及自编言语理解能力测验对七、八年级聋生的推理能力与言语理解能力的关系作了初步探讨.结果表明七、八年级聋生的推理能力与言语理解能力比正常同龄儿童要低1-3岁和4-6岁;言语理解能力的三个方面与推理能力的相关程度不同.作者还就如何克服聋生的言语缺陷,提高言语理解能力提出几点建议.     

开设语言课 提高聋校学生的书面语言能力

聋校学生的书面语言能力主要通过语文课的教学获得。然而 ,经过多年语文课的学习 ,很多聋校学生的书面语言能力仍然很低下 ,成为提高文化知识的一大障碍。其根本原因在于 ,聋校的语文课基本上是参照普通中小学的语文课经过一定调整而来 ,但普通中小学学生是在已经获得了基本的口语能力之后开始语文课的学习。由于聋生缺乏相应的口语基础 ,现行语文课的教学并不能保证根本改变聋生书面语言水平低下的状况。发展聋生基本的语言能力应该通过语言课。在开始语文课的教学之前先开设语言课是解决问题的途径。语言课与语文课具有不同的性质和任务。语言课应选择适合自身任务的教学内容 ,并遵循适合聋校学生语言发展规律的教学原则     

Metamemory Assessment and Memory Behavior in a Simulated Memory Professional Task

This study investigated metamemory knowledge related to a professional task and the relationships between metamemory knowledge and memory performance in a simulated professional task, which was a beverage-service job with memory constraints changes. Metamemory knowledge was assessed by interviewing student waiters about hypothetical recall tasks concerning lists of beverages. They then carried out a simulated beverage-service task, including a first paired-associate recall (beverage-customer), then a global recall (order to the bartender), followed by a second paired-associate recall (beverage-customer). Memory constraints were manipulated with table size and perceptive cues. Results revealed that in metamemory knowledge, task-strategy, and strategy were the only variables that were related. Metamemory knowledge produced an effect on all memory performance, whatever the constraints were. The implications of these findings for professional training are discussed in terms of strategy instruction for enhancing professional performance when memory demands change in the work environment.     

The impact of a Curriculum for Resilience Promotion in Deaf Children and Adolescents

Resilience is an interactive process involving internal skills that should be promoted, especially in the early stages of development. This study aims to adapt and implement two themes from the European Curriculum for Resilience Promotion – RESCUR, namely, ‘Developing Communication Skills’ and ‘Establishing and Maintaining Healthy Relationships’, for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) students. The study included 37 children and adolescents from three Portuguese regions and its impact was evaluated through the perspectives of the students, their guardians and their teachers. Each 90-minute session was implemented weekly. The sessions followed the RESCUR curriculum structure with necessary adaptations to the mindfulness activities, stories, role-play and worksheets. The mean scores increased from pre- to post-intervention assessment on all instruments, namely, KIDSCREEN-10 (children/adolescents), KIDSCREEN-10 (guardians) and CYRM-28 (teachers). The implementation of adapted curricula promoting resilience seems to be beneficial to DHH children, allowing the development of specific resilience-associated skills, and thus enhancing health, well-being and quality of life.     

Transformation through Language Use: Children’s Spontaneous Metaphors in Elementary School Science

This article examines the role elementary school children’s spontaneous metaphors play in learning science. The data consists of tape recordings of about 25 h from five different schools. The material is analysed using a practical epistemology analysis and by using Dewey’s ideas on the continuity and transformation of experience. The results show the rich and varied meanings that children put into their spontaneous metaphors. Their metaphors deal with facts as well as norms and aesthetics in relation to the science content taught and they influence learning both through what is made salient, as well as through their relations to the children’s possibilities of proceeding with their undertakings. Often one and the same metaphor encompassed all these cognitive, aesthetic and normative aspects at the same time. It is discussed how this rich meaning can be cultured in a productive way, and how the children’s spontaneous metaphors, with all their relations, can be used to enhance conceptual learning and also learning about the nature of metaphor use in science. Through their connection with various experiences of the children, it is also shown how children’s spontaneous metaphors have the potential to enliven and humanise the subject.     

幼儿同伴侵害与社会能力、问题行为的关系

使用教师评定法对279名3-5岁儿童进行研究,探讨幼儿同伴侵害现象及其与社会能力、适应问题的关系。结果发现:幼儿中存在身体侵害和关系侵害现象,部分儿童同时受身体和关系两种形式的侵害,身体侵害的稳定性随年龄增长而变化;与不受侵害的儿童相比,受侵害儿童的外化问题明显偏多;问题行为在儿童社会能力和半年后身体侵害之间起到完全中介作用,而在儿童社会能力和半年后关系侵害之间起到部分中介作用。     

Development of Social Working Memory in Preschoolers and Its Relation to Theory of Mind

Social working memory (WM) has distinct neural substrates from canonical cognitive WM (e.g., color). However, no study, to the best of our knowledge, has yet explored how social WM develops. The current study explored the development of social WM capacity and its relation to theory of mind (ToM). Experiment 1 had sixty-four 3- to 6-year-olds memorize 1–5 biological motion stimuli, the processing of which is considered a hallmark of social cognition. The social WM capacity steadily increased between 3- and 6-year-olds, with the increase between 4 and 5 years being sharp. Furthermore, social WM capacity positively predicted preschoolers' ToM scores, while nonsocial WM capacity did not; this positive correlation was particularly strong among 4-year-olds (Experiment 2, N = 144).     

The Language Proficiency Profile-2: Assessment of the Global Communication Skills of Deaf Children Across Languages and Modalities of Expression

Data are presented from two studies that investigate the developmental trends and concurrent validity of a measure of language and communication skills for deaf children, the Language Proficiency Profile-2 (LPP-2), developed by Bebko and McKinnon (1993). The LPP-2 was designed to evaluate the overall linguistic/communicative skills of deaf children, independent of any specific language or modality of expression. It focuses on the totality of the children's communication skills. Experiment 1 investigated developmental trends of the LPP-2 for both deaf and hearing children, studying a combined sample of deaf and hearing children from the United States and Canada. Experiment 2 investigated the relationship between the LPP-2 and two commonly used measures to assess deaf children on language development (Preschool Language Scale-3) and early reading skills (Test of Early Reading Ability-Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing). Results from the two studies indicate that the LPP-2 has good utility not only as a measure of overall language development but also as a predictor of achievement for English language and early reading skills.